By Any Other Name
by Contessa Leandra
Summary: Amarante, the Greek-American-sarcastic-fashion-obsessed-drama-queen-of-the-century, takes a trip to Greece to discover her cultural roots. She hasn't the foggiest idea she's about to meet Thanatos, the God of Death! Read&Review, si vous plait! XP
1. Chapter 1: Delusions are Delusional

My name is Amarante (Ah-mah-ran-tee) N

Chapter One: Delusions Are Delusional

My name is Amarante (Ah-mah-ran-tee) N. I bet you are wondering what the 'N' stands for. Let me give you a hint. I'm Greek. Well, technically I'm Greek American; but Greek all the same. The 'N' stands for Nikolaidis (Nee-koh-lae-diss). I don't much like telling people that name because no one seems to be able to spell it correctly. What does this have to do anything? It has to do with the plot of this book, actually. Or, in other words, the reason my personal fairy tale ever occurred. However, I am going to warn you. If you think this is your typical, run-of-the-mill Prince Charming story, you are completely out of your mind. I can tell you right now that reality tends to be darker; much darker than bunnies with big, sparkling eyes and a princess who can make birds clean her room with a song. I had to clean my own room, and I certainly would compare this relation with Charles Dickens or the Brothers Grimm. Anyway, I digress…

It started one particular summer morning, in a town populated with only a few thousand people—Noontown, California. Haven't heard of it, right? Now you see the point of this. I was nobody from nowhere, and certainly not anybody people would go out of their way to be involved in. My mother was giving me her usual lecture about my cultural origins and the meaning of my name for the umpteenth time ever. I sat quietly at the breakfast table in the kitchen across from my sister, eating my cereal.

"Amarante is the feminine version of amaranthus! It's a grain, and was thought to be an ever-blooming or immortal flower!" My mother said, shaking both hands as though she was trying to emphasize the point through her actions.

I spooned Cinnamon Toast Crunch into my mouth, trying to tune her out.

"Amarante! Don't you even care?!"

I sighed.

"Momma, I love amaranthus. I mean, look at my hair. I dyed it red; totally red."

I ran a hand back through my unruly, scarlet hair. It was neck-length, straight, and wildly all over the place. I'd styled it myself.

"The way you look now doesn't tell anyone about your culture," my mother said, and regarded me with stern brown eyes.

"The point is, you need to learn. Honestly, you and your little sister as so unconcerned."

Said sister, Anemone, choked on a mouthful of her own cereal. She burst into fits of giggling. She also fancied her hair colored for her name. Anemone was a black and purple poppy flower, and her hair reflected it perfectly.

"I am concerned," I said, and sighed again. "But we also live in California, remember? It's a long way to Greece."

"You don't need to be in Greece to appreciate your heritage," my mother said.

"I think I do," I said. "That's why I'm going."

She dropped her dishrag back into the flooded sink.

"What did you say?"

I shrugged.

"I'm turning seventeen. I decided that I should take a trip over there, if you'll let me. Anemone's going to Germany, so I thought you could call my trip an early birthday present. It would be educational and informative, right? At least, that's what you want."

My mother beamed, and clasped her hands together. She reached for my face; probably to plant a kiss on it.

"Oh, Amarante!"

I was supposed to stay for a week. My mother loaded me up with baggage, and numbers of various relatives in case of an emergency. Next thing I knew, I was braving the uptight airport security. I could scarcely believe they let me through, even with the various fashion accessories upon my person. I had a hair bow, bracelets, rings, a necklace, and lace-up leather boots. Among those, I had mountains of other outfits and make-up packed. I was admittedly fashion-obsessed. No one would ever catch me looking drab; not even on the other side of the world.

The flight accomplished little more than making me sick and psychotic. I had been seated next to a particularly talkative old lady, who did nothing but talk for ninety-nine percent of the way over. It wasn't that she didn't have anything interesting to say, but rather that I became frustrated and exhausted from her constant stream of words (especially since I couldn't get a single word into her accurately-deemed dictation). I didn't sleep for five minutes on that long voyage.

When we landed, I had plenty of issues navigating around the Athens airport. I did not know modern or ancient Greek, so there was a solid language barrier delaying me from the baggage claim. I don't remember quite how I did it, but I managed to get there and to a taxi without much consequence. My hotel was in the picturesque Greek countryside just outside of Athens, so the drive did not last too much longer. By then I was so exhausted I wanted to collapse in the dirt and die.

The driver helped me carry my enormous amount of luggage into the hotel lobby, waited for his payment, and departed. I hadn't the faintest idea what to do next, so I wandered into the hotel restaurant and ate some linguine. Then I checked in at the front desk.

"Is there anything interesting to do close by?" I asked, enunciating my every word in case the clerk did speak a little English. I was pleasantly surprised.

"Depend where you want to go," she replied in a strong accent.

"I'm not sure. Could you give me some examples, please?"

"There ruin, there hot spring…"

"Hot springs?" I perked up.

"Oh, yes. One kilometer."

"Where are they, exactly?"

She thought for a moment.

"There path, I think… Down front step, left side." She pointed towards the entrance.

"Okay, thank you."

"We have map," she added, and handed me a large slip of paper folded into sections.

"Wow, thanks!"

I figured hot springs would be very soothing after sitting upright in a stiff plane chair for so many hours without sleep. I could relax my muscles, and start off the trip with a spa-like treatment. Though I could hardly stand, I could handle one kilometer if it meant a trip to the hot springs! I found my luggage and called on a bell boy to help me take the lot of it upstairs to my room.

Afterwards I dug through it seeking my bathing suit. I had a red one-piece; not too fancy since I didn't expect to run into anyone out there this late. I changed and put on some red flip-flops, and snatched a towel from the bathroom. I wrapped it around my slender body while I glanced at the mirror. I scowled at my reflection. My eyelids were heavily lined with black, and my lips as red as my hair. My hazel eyes contrasted starkly against them, to the point that they seemed almost yellow. It didn't help that I was bleached like a white sheet. I looked like such a vampire. I was a fashionista for sure, but a dark one. My clothes were always vintage-styled, and often red or black. No wonder the people at school had problems approaching me; I looked evil.

"They wouldn't guess that I save even cockroaches from washing down the drain," I said to myself, and headed for the door.

I hadn't realized that I'd be trekking into the forest to find the hot springs. Past the entrance steps, the crooked path led right into the deep woods. At nightfall, the woods were horrifying and foreboding. The moon hung high, spilling pale beams of light across the emerald leaves of olives and citrus, which were at the edge of the forest; then the path gave way to taller trees and denser foliage, which made visibility near impossible. I'd be hiking downhill on a path covered with small boulders and bark that a klutz like me would trip over. But somehow I could not give up on the idea of that hot water on my aching muscles. I had to find the springs, even if I tumbled and broke my head against a rock.

It was worse in my flip-flops and towel. Bark got under my calloused feet and branches and brush snagged into my hair. I reminded myself how much of an idiot I was, yet trudged onward, having gone too far to turn back. I perched on a boulder in an attempt to read the map. There was a sliver of light coming in through a crack in the tree above me. I made out the path in the corner, and followed it along the paper with my eyes. I resisted clapping my heels together, discovering that I only had one more turn to go around before I got to where I needed to be.

I folded the map back up; probably incorrectly on the account of how sloppy it looked, then decided to skip the rest of the way. One of my sandals flipped off and landed in a bush, and I had to hop one-legged over to retrieve it. The last bend was obscured by a huge boulder and trees, so I couldn't see if I was going in the right direction. Hastily I carried on, eager to just be done with it all.

Finally, over some patches of dense undergrowth, I saw steam curling up and through the trees. I was ecstatic. I'd discovered the hot springs. Soon I'd be soaking and happy and refreshed. Or, so I thought…

"Yes! I did it! There's the spring and--"

Right on the verge of leaping into the pool, I stopped dead in my tracks. I heard a soft splashing, which became louder. A shadowy silhouette rose in the center of the pool, and moved towards its bank gradually. As it emerged from the thick tendrils of steam, two huge black-plumed wings unfurled. I yelped and stumbled back into a rather tall bush. A scattering of leaves fell into my face. I was blinded momentarily.

The winged creature was still obscured right then, but as I swatted the leaves from my hair, it came out into the moonlight. I hadn't finished picking them off of me as of yet, but I can assure you that what I was to see next stole my very breath from me. I hardly expected whatever it was to talk to me, with a voice that spoke directly into my soul and sent a maddened shiver down my spine.

"How dare a mortal disturb me…"

I froze, and lifted my gaze slowly from my leaf-covered hands. He was beautiful. I think he appeared to be physically on the edge of seventeen. To my disbelief, he grasped a shadow deftly out of the air, and wove it around one arm. The shadow draped itself around him, and became fabric.

His willowy body was gleaming white against the dark woods. His lips were plump, but bloodless and bluish, and turned downward in a severe scowl. His silver hair, in tight curls, fell not quite to his shoulders. There were winged, obsidian appendages growing from between his shoulder blades, and he had solid coal-black eyes that sparkled gently with the faint light of distant stars. I knew then that I was hallucinating.

"What gall is this that prompts you?" he asked, in a voice that resounded through me. My knees wobbled. I sputtered. Was I supposed to answer?

"I wanted to soak in the hot spring," I blurted. My own voice was tiny in comparison.

"Likely story."

By then I realized he wasn't speaking English. It was a strange language that for some reason, I comprehended.

"I am being honest," I replied. The knowledge of this not being reality gave me confidence.

"You take that tone with me? Do you not know who I am?"

"I don't have a clue."

And he was upon me. That flawless visage was so close to me now. He quivered slightly; in a rage, perhaps.

"I AM THANATOS, GOD OF DEATH; I AM THE MOST DESPISED IN ALL THE COSMOS. DO YOU NOT FEAR ME?"

I mulled this over. Considering I wasn't really facing the Greek god of death, I had no reason to be scared.

"I was. But then, you did surprise me. I don't know why I'd despise you."  
He appeared confused.

"I-I am death. Surely I have stolen a loved one from you before?"

Was that what this hallucination was about? I should have known.

"Yes," I said. "You did take my father, three years ago. He had cancer."

"Then you do despise me."

"Not really. It was his time, I guess. Life would be pretty meaningless without death, and I think he's probably somewhere better." I reasoned, more to myself than to him. I liked the idea of my father living someplace without suffering. I also had no reason to hate my mirage version of death, especially since he was so damn sexy.

"Still you do not cower?" Death's face contorted; either with relief or some sort of pain. I wasn't sure which.

"Should I?"

"It is disrespectful to be so casual with a god. It is deserving of punishment."

"Oh? Go ahead, then."

He reached for me. I didn't move. He hesitated.

"EVEN NOW, THERE IS NO FEAR OR HATRED IN YOUR EYES, THOUGH I HAVE EVERY INTENTION OF ENDING YOU."

"I guess it's my time. I'm not complaining. This is definitely one of the more interesting ways to die." I laughed a little. "But you know, I'll still think of you as my friend, or whatever. No hard feelings," I joked. Of course, had this been reality, I'd probably have reacted differently.

"You are strange, little one," Thanatos breathed, apparently stunned at my indifference.

"Everyone says that. By the way, what are you doing out here? I don't exactly see Greek gods on a day-to-day basis."

His eyelids fluttered. I believe he was trying to think of the best way to cope with me and my nonchalance.

"I…I am bereft of my duties at this time. Hades insisted that I needed a rest of sorts, which, he tells me, lasts one mortal week."

"That's a funny coincidence. I'm on vacation for a week, too," I informed him brightly. Though at this point, I was really tired of seeing things. I just wanted to get to bed.

Thanatos straightened himself, and spoke with obvious intent.

"Then, mortal, you will entertain me until my time here has ended."

Huh?!

"Now, wait just a minute," I countered, blinking. "I don't know anything about this country! I'm from America. I don't know where anything is, and how am I supposed to entertain you when I don't know what you like or dislike?"

Thanatos narrowed those pitch black eyes. The look he gave chilled me, so I ceased my complaints.

"All right. I'll do it. Only, I have to tell you…" I pointed at his overall archaic and unearthly appearance.

"You are going to have problems if you look like that. Can't you make yourself more…Normal?"

"Is that all? I suppose you are correct. We do not want to attract unwanted attention."

He snapped his fingers and it all disappeared. His eyes were no longer entirely black, but black-irised. His skin, though sickly pale, was not unnaturally white. He sported a black turtleneck sweater and blue jeans which I personally believed were unsuited to the warm temperature of a Greek summer, but I said nothing. The only thing that went unchanged was his silver hair. Needless to say, he still looked like an absolute knockout. Why hadn't his sexiness made me pass out yet? Oh, right. This was a hallucination.

"Okay. I guess we'd better head back to my hotel room and plot tomorrow out or something." I brought a hand up to rub my weary eyes. God, I needed sleep.

"You appear fatigued. Surely it is the work of my twin Hypnos. If you wish, I may call upon him to loose his hold on you," he offered. The godlike quality of his voice had diminished; it sounded only like a smooth and quiet young man's voice. Maybe that was because he was masquerading as a human, now. I liked that my delusions could be so logical and conventional, unlike my usually-wacky dreams.

"No, no. I'm fine. Let's just go."

The walk back to the hotel was wonderfully uneventful. Although, I did notice the clerk at the front desk give me a funny look. It must have been strange for her to think I'd picked up such a hot man in the forest at this time of night. I must have imagined that look, too.


	2. Chapter 2: Deathly Blues

Chapter Two: Deathly Blues

Chapter Two: Deathly Blues

The next morning I awoke, and yelped. There he sat in an armchair, across from my bed. It was all I could do to keep from hyperventilating. I could not believe it. He wasn't supposed to be real!

"Oh, my God," I gasped.

Thanatos looked around. "Yes?"

I pressed back to the headboard of my bed, bringing the covers up to my face. I wished I could simply melt into nothingness beneath my sheets.

"You weren't supposed to be real," I repeated, this time aloud.

"Ah, I see what it is, now." Thanatos stood, and paced from one end of the room to the other.

"Do I appear to be an illusion?" he asked. His dark eyes smoldered.

"I guess not," I said. Or rather, croaked.

"Up," he commanded. "Dress. I want to be going."

"Going where?" I asked.

"I do not know. You will go where you want to go, and I shall accompany you."

"Oh…"

I lifted myself out of bed, and held the blanket to myself as I edged towards the bathroom. Having a real, live, beautiful god in my room made me more than a bit self-conscious of being seen in my night slip. Thanatos eyed me from the other side of the room, his countenance somewhat pensive.

"Would you be more comfortable if I waited outside?" he asked finally.

A satisfying wave of relief passed over me.

"Yes."

"Very well." He turned and passed, quite literally, through the door.

I squeaked and immediately retreated into the bathroom, alarmed enough by his actual existence without displays of his godly power. I slammed and bolted the door, then soon found myself cringing in the corner.

"Oh, dear, oh, dear…" I chewed on my nails.

"What am I going to do now?! Call Mom? No, she won't believe me. Anemone is flying to Germany first thing in the morning, so she's probably gone already and can't do a thing for me. The police? No, no, he's a god! He'd either kill them or escape! Should I try and climb out the window? No! He would find me! I'm doomed, oh, great!" I buried my head in my arms.

"Okay, Amarante, breathe. Maybe he isn't so bad. Oh, am I kidding, he's Death! But he didn't kill me yet, so--"

Though I am aware my monologue to myself displays a questionable sanity, I assure you I thought things through better out loud. Could you blame me in light of the situation? I was fighting down a mental breakdown!

"--Maybe, just maybe, he won't kill me! I mean, he's beautiful! And I'm not exactly mean or anything. He's just so… Oh, dear, what am I going to wear?!"

I started tearing through my things. If I didn't want to look like an idiot next to him, I would have to be especially dazzling. So I managed to locate a frilly black Victorian-styled blouse and long lacy skirt of the same color. To complete the look, I wore pointed ankle-high boots. My hair went pinned up in a bun with loose bangs, and I accented my pale complexion with a dusting of rosy blush and maroon eye shadow. As always, I was a stickler to my vintage glamour even under dire circumstances. And not wanting to leave this potentially dangerous "man" hanging much longer, I grabbed my purse and took off out the door (not through it, mind you).  
Thanatos stood at the end of the hallway, by the staircase. The next thing that occurred gave me a much-needed boost in my self-esteem. The moment he regarded me in my finery, a very gentle, almost wistful look glistened in his eyes. It was gone as quickly as it came, leaving my skin prickling and my heart wrenching with a very peculiar feeling.

"Uh," I began, tugging absentmindedly on the hem of my skirt. "I'm ready."

And as a reaffirmation that I had not imagined his expression, he paused; even fidgeted a little with his hands. It didn't last.

"Have you decided where we are going primarily?" he asked me.

I stared directly into his coal-black eyes, knowing that I had not paid attention.

I was attempting to sort out the strange, new emotion brewing in my stomach.

"Sorry. Can you repeat that?"

"I asked where we are going."

"Uh, well, I usually go shopping the first day."

"Shop…Ping?"

"Do you know what I mean? Like, I purchase clothes and shoes and all that."

"That does not interest me."

I went rigid. Not a good start. No, definitely a terrible start. Great. This was just great. I knew now he wouldn't like anything I did; and therefore I wouldn't be able to go anywhere I wanted, either. This was going to be the worst vacation I'd ever been on, and if I resisted him, he was sure to kill me.

"But I supposed I could give it a try."

My face brightened. I was completely shocked. And then I understood he'd changed his mind solely because of the pall that had come over my features. I fought down the resulting blush and rushed to the stairs.

"We should probably get going," I said, more to myself than anyone.

I went directly to the front desk, and found that the nearest shopping center was back in Athens. It wasn't too far, but far enough that it would take two hours on foot to reach. I reported the information to Thanatos.

"What shall transport us, then?" he asked.

"I suppose we could call a cab," I said. We left through the front doors. But my suggestion was not met well.

"Oh, you do not mean one of those great metal beasts, do you? I cannot tell you how many souls I have claimed from catastrophes relating to them. I should not want to ride in one." Thanatos appeared suddenly very fearful; or anxious in the least.

"But you're a god, aren't you? You wouldn't be hurt in a car crash." I was perplexed.

"No. I would be injured, but I would heal rapidly. I would not die, if that is what you mean. But I do not want to test it just the same."

"Fair enough," I said. "But how else can we get there?"

Thanatos mulled this over.

"Well, we could fly," he suggested.

My stomach twisted in knots. I did not do well with heights.

"Fly? How are we going to fly?"

"I can fly," he reminded me.

"Oh. Oh!" I blushed madly. "I forgot." This was not good.

"I assume you want to be out of sight beforehand," he said.

"Oh? Oh, yes. Wings. Wings tend to throw some people off." I laughed robotically.

He arched a brow, but said nothing.

We wandered beyond the trees and discovered a clearing of sorts. The wings which had since been hidden from sight unfolded from between his shoulder blades. If there was ever a doubt in my mind, he was decidedly not human. Of course, I knew I couldn't fly, and that meant I would have to come into close contact with him. My face started to burn. I sincerely hoped I wasn't blushing again. I was deathly afraid heights, but being close to someone this attractive, namely Death, did not help me whatsoever.

"So, uh, Thanatos… You realize that in order to fly us together that you are going to have to…" I trailed off.

His lips parted, and he started blankly; almost as though he hadn't given it all that much thought. Now he knew what I meant. He also knew that he didn't want me to touch him. I could tell. Humans probably made his skin crawl.

"You don't want me to touch you, do you," I stated bluntly.

"I am not used to being touched, admittedly," he said.

"You refused to take the cab."

"You are correct. I brought this on myself." His forehead creased, and he sighed.

"Come, then." He gestured. I moved towards him with some measure of reluctance. I had to make my phobia known to him.

"I am scared of heights," I told Thanatos, craning my head to be able to meet his eye level. I was rather short, and he was somewhat tall.

"Are you afraid?" he asked.

"Terribly afraid," I said.

"I will not drop you."

"Do you promise?"

He eyed me strangely.

"If you wish it, I will swear an oath on the river Styx. It is an oath I cannot break."

"No," I said. "That's okay. I believe you."

"Then?"

"We can go. Uh, may I?" I stepped up to him.

"You may." He drew me against him, and tightened his arms securely around my waist. I shivered. I expected to feel warmth, but he was cold. He felt like an ice cube.

"Hold on tightly." I wrapped my arms around his neck, clinging to him.

I wasn't prepared for it. He wings arched and gave a massive flap that propelled us into the air. We ascended swiftly, and the trees below were suddenly tiny specks. I did not scream, but I squeaked. I buried my face into the fabric of his turtleneck. He twitched under my chokehold.

"Little one, I…Please loosen your grip on me."

The terror of the air rushing beneath my dangling legs prevented any movement on my behalf. I squeezed him. Tears streamed down my face and I clenched my teeth. He bent his head down to my ear and whispered.

"Little one… I promised I would not drop you," he said gently. I thought I would melt. I went limp, and he, in turn, held fast. He panicked, trying to support me, as I was slipping.

"Not that loose!" he cried. I gripped him again.

"Better," he breathed. His face relaxed.

"Sorry," I murmured, beginning to get a hold of my fear. He'd somehow managed not to kill me despite being by nature Death.

"Why don't you look at the view?" he suggested.

"I can't. I just can't look." I kept my face against his chest.

"Very well."

We did not talk the rest of the way. The sky was as cold, if not colder, than his body. My teeth chattered. We touched down, thankfully, right on the edge of Athens.

"We can go by foot the rest of the way," he said.

"Okay," I muttered, backing away from him and rubbing my arms. I was so cold. He still had his arms out as though he hadn't expected me to pull away so soon. I hope he wasn't getting the wrong impression.

"The sky is cold," I said quickly.

"Oh. Yes." He turned from me, and walked. I followed him. I was starting to get hungry.

"Are you hungry?" I asked.

"I do not get hungry," he replied.

"You don't? Don't you eat?"

"I can eat. Mortal cuisine pales in comparison to ambrosia and nectar."

"I wouldn't know," I said. "Well, I'm hungry. I think we should have some Greek food."

"Very well. Do you need some form of payment for the meal? Gold coin?"

"No, I have money."

I stopped in front of some sort of café. It was a Greek café, and I was certainly glad we didn't have to look far in Greece to find Greek food.

"This looks promising," I said, and grasped the handle of the café's glass door.

"How so? The door is strange in appearance." Rather than enter the café as I'd intended him to, he bent over and examined the glass door with an air of curiosity.

"Uh, I didn't mean the door, I mean the café."

"Oh." He stood up straight, shrugged it off, and went inside.

A waiter led us to a two-person booth in the back of the cafe. He handled us a couple of menus and disappeared into the kitchen without a word.

"Dolmades," I said. "For an appetizer."

"What is that?" he asked.

"Stuffed grape leaves. They have rice in them. They're really good," I replied.

"Hm. What shall I get? I cannot read this text." He squinted, turning the menu upside down. It was written in English script, not Greek lettering.

"Oh. A lamb gyro, maybe? I'll get spanakopita."

"What is that?"

"You'll just have to see." I didn't want to explain any more foods. "Just trust me."

"Very well."

"And drinks. There's soda and fruit juice."

"Soh-dah?"

"Do you want to try it?"

"I suppose."

"I'll get you juice, too. Just in case."

The waiter reappeared and I echoed our choices to him. Momentarily he was back with the drinks.

"Why don't gods eat?" I asked Thanatos.

"Food does nothing for us. We are immortal. Anything I consume turns to ash after I swallow it."

"That's so weird!"

"For you, perhaps it is."

I put a straw into my Coke. But before I could stop him, Thanatos chugged half of his glass of Coke. I winced, waiting for the reaction. It came immediately.

"Ye gods!" He coughed, making choking noises and grasping at his throat. With the other hand he flung the glass onto the floor. It shattered, and the rest of it spilled all over. His eyes poured tears.

"My throat is burning!" he shrieked.

"Calm down! It's supposed to do that! Soda is carbonated water, edible concentrations of acids, and sugar. It burns a little. You're not supposed to drink all that much of it at once. That's what the straw is for!" I demonstrated slurping the liquid through the straw for him. He sniffed, mopping his eyes with his sleeve.

"I do not care! I am never drinking that vile substance again!"

The ruckus attracted the waiter, who was very obviously annoyed at the mess Thanatos had made. I apologized repeatedly for five minutes as he swept up the glass. Luckily I was not charged extra for his carelessness. Thanatos stayed with his fruit juice, and the food came soon after. Thanatos, luckily, ate the rest of the food and did not throw anything else onto the floor. He ate the dolmades, his lamb gyro, and even some of my spinach-feta-and-filo-dough spanakopita. I was slightly aggravated because I did not get to eat as much as I would have liked.

"I take it you liked the food."

"It was adequate considering it was man-made," he admitted.

"I guess that's the best I can get out of you, huh?"

I paid the bill and we hit the shops. I went through many articles of clothing. I tried blouses, skirts, pants, and accessories. I even bought a few things as well. I was enjoying myself, but Thanatos was not. He wrinkled his nose every time I grabbed at something and grinned. He seemed either bored by this activity, or revolted by the various human styles he saw. It was irritating that he could not say something to the affect of what was bothering him.

"You know, we can always get you something," I offered.

"I can appear as I like, so there is no need. Mortal weave is so uncomfortable and primitive, besides," he said.

I was getting fed up with his attitude and unwillingness to try anything that was not his own. I could not stop myself from commenting on it.

"Why? Because we weren't gifted with the ability to make clothes out of thin air?"

"Gods could not care less about those trivial matters."

"Right, because you are so self-important, it doesn't matter how you dress," I muttered.

Thanatos frowned. "I do not think you are acting respectfully, mortal."

"You know what?" It struck me that he didn't treat me respectfully. He didn't even know who I was! "When are you planning on asking my name?"

Thanatos went silent.

"I met you last night, and you didn't ask me. Today you haven't asked me, either. Are you fine with just calling me 'mortal' the entire time? I'm not an ant. I don't like to be treated that way."

"You never offered your name."

"I didn't offer to entertain you, either, but you still asked me. You could have asked for my name, too."

Thanatos' brows furrowed. I went even so far as to think he looked hurt.

"I am not okay with being just 'human' or 'mortal' to you. I am doing what I planned on doing, which is shopping. This is what people do for entertainment. I don't know what gods like; I warned you about that last night." I was becoming vastly annoyed. "If you don't like it, please find another human to toy with. I am sure there are plenty of other more amusing humans in Greece."

I stormed to the other end of the shop, leaving Thanatos gaping like a fish. I furiously dug through the sale items, seeking a steal. I wasn't actually looking at the clothing, but rather fuming over what I'd just said. I didn't particularly like having cruel outbursts, but really! It took me a minute to realize Thanatos was standing behind me, appearing hesitant and unsure of himself. I rolled my eyes.

"Why are you still here?" I demanded.

"I…" He looked down at his hands, murmuring. "I don't know where we are."

"Then find someone to help you," I snapped, turning back to the bargain bin.

"I don't want to find anyone else," he whispered.

I froze.

"I want to know your name," he said quietly. "I implore you. Please tell me."

I didn't speak straight away. I made him wait for it; hang onto my silence.

"Please?" he asked again.

"I'm Amarante," I said. "Amarante N."

"Amarante," he whispered. "That certainly explains it."

"Explains what?" I asked, confused. I faced him and folded my arms across my chest.

"It is nothing," he told me, his lips stretching into a thin line.

Well, if he was going to be that way… I shrugged.

"If you don't want to shop anymore, we can go back to the hotel," I said.

"I was wondering, actually," he began. He fidgeted again, like earlier, with his hands. "Is there anything in here that you think would look good on me?"


	3. Chapter 3: Death Saved My Life?

Chapter 3: Death Saved My

Chapter 3: Death Saved My…Life?

"I do not think this raiment appears comfortable," Thanatos stated glumly, lifting up a pair of khaki cargo shorts from the clothing rack. The corners of his mouth twitched low in disdain. I suppressed a giggle.

"You're wearing jeans. Anything is more comfortable than jeans, in my opinion," I remarked.

"I am not fond of these things you mortals call 'pants'," he agreed. "They are… He tugged at his jeans. "…Restricting."

"Too much information, Thanatos."

"What do you mean?"

I sighed.

"Never mind."

I slid the hangers along their rack, searching for something that I would have fun seeing him wear. Considering he already looked the part, with pale skin and silver hair, I seized a black velvet cavalry coat lined with silver buttons.

"You would look totally 'vampire' in this."

He frowned.

"How does one even put it on?"

He tried to undo the metal hooks in the middle, which clasped the entire thing together. He failed.

"Well, if you don't want to try it on, then--"

"I will make an attempt," he interrupted, grabbing the coat away from me. He slung the coat over a rack beside him, and then started taking off his turtleneck. I blushed madly.

"Nononono!" I cried, yanking his sweater back down. "Go to the dressing room!"

"The dressing room?"

"Yes, over there," I said, prodding him gently in the right direction. "I'll wait outside."

"Very well." He disappeared behind an emerald plush curtain.

I stared at the clock on the far wall, tapping my foot.

Ten minutes…

Fifteen minutes…

"Thanatos? Are you okay?"

"I-I am almost--"

I threw the curtain aside, unwilling to wait for the unbearable sum of twenty minutes for him to put on a coat. He seemed flustered, the metal clasps halfway fixed and halfway not; many of them were missed between, and the coat was bunched up in funny ways. I covered my mouth with my hand.

"Wow, you really need help," I told him, reaching for the coat.

"I can do it myself," he blurted, and evaded my fingers.

"I'm not waiting any longer," I replied. "Just let me do it."

He did not flee this time, and I went to unclasping the jacket. He didn't have a shirt on beneath the coat. My face burned. I tried not to look, but it was difficult since he was kind of smack dab right in front of me. His torso was equally as pasty and smooth as his face; sort of like marble. He wasn't really muscular, but he wasn't frail-looking either. He was simply skinny. Very skinny. My heart began to pound.

Thanatos would not watch as I worked. He had the vague expression of someone who had been caught red-handed doing something he was ashamed of. I hurried and finished, eagerly moving for the space I desperately wanted; the space away from him.

"L-Look in the mirror," I said, averting my eyes.

He glanced to it, smoothing the coat with his hands. He was dashing, like a Victorian prince. My heart still raced and I knew my knees wobbled underneath me.

"Does it suit me?" he inquired, unsure of my reaction.

"Well--"

"You cannot assess this properly if you are gazing elsewhere, little one."

I swallowed and gave him a direct scrutiny. The coat went as low as the thighs of his jeans. I'd taken the smallest size for him due to his thin frame, and I had to say his figure was well-defined in this piece of clothing. It clung snugly to him, but not tightly. The black contrasted against his ivory complexion, buttons a similar shade of silver to his curly locks. I tried not to swoon.

"You look like… Well, a god," I confessed.

His mouth stretched into a thin, straight line for the second time today. I was beginning to wonder if that was as close as he ever got to smiling. Maybe I was imagining things.

"Shall I take it?"

"Huh?" My face went blank.

"This garment. Shall I take it?"

"Oh, no, we were just trying--"

"Do you like it?"

"Well, yes, I--"

"Then I shall take it."

"You don't have to," I called faintly, but he'd already headed to the cash register. In what sounded like Greek, he purchased the coat from the sales clerk and met me at the front door with a plastic bag.

"Have we finished?"

"I… Well, I still…" I took a sideways glance down the road.

"I am not interested in continuing more of this 'shopping'."

I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off.

"However, as I have come to realize, I have failed to be gracious to you in light of what you have been doing for me. I believe I will find someplace to wait and allow you to do as you please for a while. Immortality does grant me patience."

I grinned.

"Just do not take too long," he added quickly.

"I won't."

We walked to a grassy spot, by which sat a bench. He made himself comfortable on it, and we agreed to meet up in half an hour. I would have been at this longer had I the choice, but I wouldn't take advantage of the opportunity. After all, he was still Death. He hadn't developed enough of a fondness to prevent him from smiting me if I caused displeasure.

The city confounded me. I didn't remember making a wrong turn, but I knew I must have. I found it increasingly hard to wind my way through the streets and visit clothing shops. Eventually I ended up in a housing district; tightly-packed and tall apartment buildings, parked cars, and walls covered with graffiti. Said walls and buildings bordered on decrepit, and crumpled food wrappers littered the narrow alleyways. I could sense no movement from anyone outdoors. The atmosphere was uneasy with no signs of activity or life. No one could direct me back to where I needed to be.

I even lost track of time. I didn't have a watch or a cell phone in my bag, nor were there visible clocks through the clouded windows of apartment houses. I sincerely had gotten into a bad position. I plopped onto my rear, resting upon the edge of a street curb and mulled over my next move. I was certain Thanatos would seek me out, and though he'd most likely be furious about the time he'd waited, I would be admittedly relieved at the sight of him over these lonely street corners. Unfortunately, the hairs on the back of my neck prickled. Footsteps shuffled down an alley beside me. I stood abruptly.

A man in a sodden, dirty suit limped out into the light. He had a grizzly, dark-stubbled chin. His mangy dark hair was oily and matted with dirt. He smelled strongly of alcohol. He spoke to me in Greek, his words slurring together. Apparently he was drunk. Needless to say, the outlook of the situation was going from bad to worse.

"I don't speak Greek," I said, enunciating every word. He spoke again, harshly, and hobbled closer. I tried to back away, but my posterior thumped against a wall. His eyes were on my bag. He was going to try and rob me.

"Don't try it," I pleaded.

He made a grab at it. I held it away.

He pulled a knife.

Shit.

"Put that knife down," I warned. My stomach twisted. I felt nauseated. I wanted to empty my lunch into the gutter.

He yelled, seizing at my wrists roughly. Instinctively I kicked out at him. My boot contacted with his groin. He wailed and collapsed to the floor, and I took off. Sadly, I didn't get very far. My foot snagged on a crack in the road, and I tripped. I skinned both knees on the pavement, my hands landing in a scattering of broken glass. I was bleeding a bit. To make matters worse, the man had picked himself off the ground, wielding the knife, and staggered at me. He was still in obvious distress from my previous defensive maneuver. I readied myself for the white-hot pain.

"Amarante!"

As he stabbed, a figure flung itself into the path of the knife and shoving me out of the way. My savior crumpled over as the knife sunk into his gut. I recognized Thanatos abruptly. I had to do something. The man withdrew the knife from Thanatos' side and came at me a second time. I fumbled behind me for the nearest object, my fist tightening around an intact glass beer bottle. I smashed it over the drunk's head with as much strength as I could muster. The man's eyes crossed, and he fell prostrate to the floor. I panted, heavily, and scrambled over to Thanatos. I wasted no time in shaking the crap out of him.

"Thanatos? Thanatos!"

He moaned, and I moved his turtleneck up so I could examine his cut. A wet sensation spread across my palms, and I lifted them up to my eyes. An inky black fluid was leaking from the cut onto my hands. It appeared to be pretty deep. I panicked. He wasn't moving at the moment.

"Oh, my God, oh, my God!" I whimpered.

"Yes?" Thanatos asked softly, cracking his eyes open.

"You're alive!" I could have hugged him.

"I was… not alive…to begin with…"

"Whatever! Why are you even injured?!"

"Gods can be…injured. We… feel pain," he croaked.

"I am so confused!" I cried.

"I will heal quickly…"

I sighed.

"I think we need to get back to the hotel now," I said.

"Call him," Thanatos mumbled, pointing towards a patch of shadows. I followed his finger with my eyes. I almost had a heart attack. A huge, black steed was staring across the road at me. Its red eyes glowed, and its nostrils flared monstrously.

"What is that?!" I squeaked.

"A Hippos Daimonos…" Thanatos closed his eyes, sharply exhaling. I decided not to ask any more questions for the time being. I simply held my hand out to the horse and clicked my tongue.

"Uhm, come here?" I asked with uncertainty.

"I CAN UNDERSTAND PERFECTLY WELL, MORTAL," the horse boomed. I grasped at my heart, twitching. The horse sauntered over.

"Sorry…" I offered a weak apology.

The horse gave a sarcastic snort; if that was physically possible.

"Can you stand?" I asked Thanatos.

"I believe so." He winced and stumbled to his feet, but came dangerously close to losing his footing. I rushed to him, catching his arm around my shoulders. He regained his balance with my support.

"My thanks," he murmured.

I managed to get him atop the thing, and very clumsily mounted it behind him. Thanatos grasped the dark horse's mane, and I held onto the back of Thanatos' soiled sweater.

"The hotel--" I began.

"I KNOW," the horse snapped with an air of impatience, and broke into a gallop. I expected to just sort of dash down the street, but instead everything whirled into a blur of colors; an unbelievably fast blur. My head was spinning, and before I could orient myself to the speed, we halted at the hotel entrance.

"GET OFF," the horse commanded, and I obeyed without hesitation. I had some difficulty getting Thanatos down, dizzy as I was.

I addressed the horse, "Thank you, uh…"

"XANTHOS," the horse said, and just disappeared.

I really would have preferred to just pass out right there, but I could not allow it with Thanatos in this state.

Thankfully, no one was waiting at the hotel to see me haul in an injured Death god; though it was a struggle getting him up the long flight of stairs. I managed, and victoriously got him into my room and my bed soon after.

"Now, let's take a look at the damages," I said to myself, and pried the turtleneck off over his head. There was too much filth coating the wound, so I knew it had to be cleaned away. I returned with a damp towel and wiped off layers of dirt and dried blood (or whatever it was). I was relieved to find the wound had closed and scabbed over somewhat. It no longer bled freely, but I observed that it could open again if he agitated it. I rushed into the bathroom and went through all the cabinets. As it was often mandatory in a lot of places, I discovered a first aid kit filled with rolls of white gauze.

"Do you think you could sit up for me?" I asked Thanatos, kit in hand.

He said nothing, but complied with a grunt. I wrapped long strips of the gauze around his abdomen, and securely fastened it at his uninjured side with a carefully-placed safety pin. I noticed something peculiar about Thanatos' face at this time. He appeared to be blushing. I was immediately self-conscious.

"I think you'll be all right, now," I mumbled.

"You have my thanks," Thanatos replied after a moment. He wouldn't look at me.

My heart hammered again.

"I…I think…" It dawned on me.

"I think you saved my life," I informed him, feeling awkward about it.

"I suppose I did."

"But you're Death. Why?"

"I do not know."

I stood, cleaning up the medical supplies dispersed around the floor.

"It was sweet of you," I continued lightly.

He grimaced.

"Do not make me regret it. Death is not meant to be 'sweet'. It will not happen again."

My heart gave a painful squeeze.

"I'm grateful for it. I'm sorry you had to get hurt because I was stupid and got lost."

"I will heal," he assured me. His tone changed. It was gentle.

I sniffed, quickly wiping a tear that had condensed in the corner of my eye before he could notice it.

"No more talking," I said. I moved to the bed and fluffed a pillow, then nudged him back against it. "Take it easy and rest so you heal faster. I'll talk to you in the morning."

It surprised me how quickly the day had flown, and how much had occurred in the span of two days in general. I could hardly believe I wasn't dreaming, but it was too late for that excuse. The sky was dark, and my body heavy enough to make me faint. I needed to rest, too. I dropped into the armchair on the other side of the room, completely spent.

"Good Oneiroi," Thanatos called over as my eyelids drooped.

I pretended to know what he was talking about.

"Mmhm."


	4. Chapter 4: What I Was There For

Chapter 4: What I Was There For

When I finally stirred, I was overcome with massive hunger. It occurred to me that I'd only had one full meal the previous day; and not a very filling one, at that. I reminded myself to never again sleep in an armchair on account of the excessively painful kink in my neck. I groaned.

"You are awake," Thanatos observed. He lay on his back, both arms resting on either side of him. The gauze which I'd dressed his wounds with had been stripped away, revealing that he'd healed. His marble torso once again flawless, it was hard to for me to believe that he'd even been injured in the first place. Not even so much as a scar marred that perfect flesh now.

"How long did it take to heal?" I asked groggily.

"Quickly," he replied; unspecific.

Rather then pester him further about it, I squinted across the room at an alarm clock placed haphazardly atop the beside table. It read:

8:02 am

I rubbed my eyes.

"What are the plans for today?"

"I don't know," I muttered, and dragged myself from the chair into the bathroom. I closed the door with a faint click behind me.

Since I really needed one, I took a fifteen-minute shower. Next I towel-dried my hair and peered into the mirror at my bloodshot bedroom eyes. I looked zombie-like with those black bags beneath them. I finally noticed my beat-up hands and knees. Over concern for Thanatos, I hadn't dressed my own injuries. I didn't want them to get infected, so I dug out the first aid kit and piled a mountain of Band-Aids over my scabbed scratches and cuts.

I changed clothes, choosing something relatively less complicated—a red t-shirt and black denim skirt with black-and-red checkered Vans sneakers, penciling black liner onto my eyes and brushing my teeth afterwards. If the order I did morning necessities was off somehow, I hardly cared. My sense of normality had been stolen from me two days previous. I didn't have anything on my mind until I returned to the main room to Thanatos, and nearly brought myself closer to him (Death) with laughter. I choked.

He glanced at me. He sported a Hawaiian shirt. Yes. A Hawaiian shirt, which was green and blue with a white plumeria pattern. His shorts? Khaki and below his knees. He had white ankle-high socks, and black sandals strapped on, as well as a wristwatch. I doubled over cackling. He looked like sickly, anemic, tourist.

"Why do you laugh?" Thanatos asked, apparently confused.

There were stitches in my sides. I couldn't answer, breathless. He frowned.

"I am going to insist that you cease," he warned. "I am becoming upset."

"S-Sorry." I wiped away tears of mirth.

"Tell me what is the matter. Does it pertain to my apparel?"

"It really doesn't suit you," I admitted, unable to stop grinning.

"I fail to see why. During your absence yesterday, I observed many mortals going about their daily lives. This attire seemed widely accepted among them."

"Maybe if you're sixty years old," I said.

"I am not sixty. In fact, I am far older. I have existed for millennia. I--"

"Yeah, I'm sure you have, but those colors don't work with you," I said. "You need monochromatic colors." He was just short of being albino, after all.

"What do you suggest?" he inquired blandly.

"Mm, I think you should wear, maybe, a black leather jacket and dark jeans. How does that sound?"

"Acceptable." He snapped his fingers, and it was done. "Satisfied?"

"Yup." I smiled. Then my stomach growled. I winced.

"Uh, but I think I'm going to call room service."

He arched a brow.

"Room service?"

"Yeah, I'm starving." I headed towards the telephone, which sat beside the alarm clock on the table. "Do you want anything?"

"It is your decision, little one."

I dialed. My stomach continued to protest its lack of fuel. I impatiently waited for someone to answer, and hoped they spoke English.

"Hello? I would like some pancakes, French toast, a glass of orange juice, and chocolate milk," I said.

"Oh-key." The person was heavily accented, but at least they got the gist of what I was saying. I hung up. Thanatos watched my every move with a badly-concealed interest. I chuckled.

"What was that object?" he asked.

"Oh, a telephone. It's science. You know, invented by Alexander Graham Bell?"

He gave me a blank look. I shrugged.

I plopped onto my stomach across the bed, feeling around for the TV remote.

Thanatos jumped as a murmur of voices and canned laughter came from the black box. The TV was perched on the other side of the room; on a mahogany dresser. He suddenly hid by the side of the bed, and then slowly peeked over the edge at the dancing figures moving across its screen. He edged gradually towards it, close to the floor. I bit my lip, preventing an amused simper from spreading. Thanatos moved right up to the TV, on his knees, then lashed out with his index finger. He gave it a firm poke on the glass screen, and retreated immediately. The sitcom family paid him no mind, and continued interacting with each other.

"There are tiny mortals trapped inside!" he hissed.

"There aren't real. They are just moving pictures," I said. "It's another modern invention. The television."

"How?"

Thanatos stood, blocking my view of the show. He explored the back of the television set, tugging at various wires, until he yanked the power plug right out of the socket. The TV went silent. He paused, and then shoved the plug back from whence it came. The TV roared to life.

"I see…" he whispered. "It is not magic?"

"Nope."

There was a knock at the door, and I sprang from the bed. As I threw the door ajar, an elderly woman rolled in a cart of food. She gave me two plates and glasses; my order. She stayed long enough to be paid, and then departed. I carried the meals back to the bed.

Thanatos hovered over me until I handed him the plate of pancakes and his orange juice. He sank onto the end of the bed next to me, and I was certain to show him how to use a fork before he spilled syrup all over himself. I changed the TV channel to Spongebob Squarepants, and we both ate in silence.

The crazy underwater characters hopped hyperactively as Thanatos shoveled pancake into his mouth. His eyes were fixed ahead; on the TV. Though he finished his breakfast much faster than I did, he did not take his eyes off of them. I didn't expect the reaction I got when I turned off the TV.

"Wait! I desire to watch more of the strange little yellow sponge!" he cried.

I set my cleaned plate aside, downing the last of my chocolate milk.

"I'm done eating, and so are you. Don't you think that we should come up with something to do today?"

"I suppose…"

"Well, we need to. I came to Greece to discover my 'cultural origins'. If I don't, my mom is going to haunt me about it for the rest of my days. Basically, I had to fly all the way from America to--"

"Do you not fear flying?"

"Well, yes, but," I didn't say anything else. He would never understand an airplane, even if I tried to explain it to him. "Anyway, I need to learn my history through anything method possible; ruins, sculptures… Stuff like that. Maybe you can help me in that area."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, you were around during those days," I said. "Maybe we could visit places that you remember?"

"I am certain that things are different," he said. "But it may be somewhat interesting to find out exactly how much things have changed."

I thought for a moment. Where could we go? There were the usual touristy locations—museums, ancient temples… I could always go see the Temple at Delphi. I always wanted to.

"How about the Temple at Delphi?" I proposed.

"You jest." Thanatos frowned. "I will not visit the temples of other gods and pay homage. Why should they, when even they, the deathless gods, loathe me as greatly as the mortals do?"

Well, I was stumped. I didn't know what other options we had to choose from. I still had museums, islands… Hey! That was it!

"Where's Odysseus' island?" I asked.

"Odysseus, descendant of Sisyphos?"

"Did you know Odysseus?"

"No, not him. But I did know Sisyphos, I am sorry to say." He scowled.

"Syphilis?"

"Sisyphos. I would rather not speak of him."

Odd. I really didn't know anything about Thanatos or his past experiences. But it was obvious he didn't like this Sisyphos, whoever he was.

"So you don't want to talk about Odysseus, either?"

"I have nothing against Odysseus," he said to my surprise.

"Well, that's good. I was thinking we could visit his island. I heard there are the remains of his palace on it; or that's what people say, anyway. What was that island called…?"

"Ithaka?"

"That's the one!"

He nodded.

"As I recall, he was a favorite of Pallas Athena. She assisted him on his many journeys."

I grinned. We were making progress!

"And how do you propose we get to Ithaka?" he asked. "It is a long way."

I hadn't though of that… I supposed that we could take a train and a boat, as I knew it was in the sea somewhere. But would Thanatos brave a train and a boat, if he couldn't even handle a car? But even if he did, it would take a whole day of traveling, and I didn't have a hotel waiting for us when we got there. I didn't have anywhere to take my luggage or sleep.

"Oh, never mind. It's too far." My spirits fell.

"I have a suggestion."

He began to pace around the room again. His mouth stretched into that familiar, thin line.

"I realize that you are not fond of flying with me, but I believe you might enjoy the sensation in you had the ability to fly yourself."

"But I can't fly," I reminded him.

"No, that is true." He brought a hand to his lips, appearing pensive. "But there may be a way. Yes, I think so. If I could obtain Hermes' sandals…"

I watched him walk back and forth, perplexed.

"The sea is the next dilemma. You cannot possibly swim the entire way. I suppose I could borrow Amphitrite's crown to turn you into a Nereid for a bit."

I didn't have the slightest idea what he was talking about. He was apparently scheming out some adventure orally, and I didn't know if I liked the sound of it.

"Yes, yes… It could perhaps work that way. But we must leave immediately. We have much to do in preparation."

He turned to me, finally. I stood up.

"Uh, okay. Where are we going, then?"

"The northern coast of the Mediterranean; there lies a cave. It is the abode of Leukothea and Palaimon. I am sure they could arrange for me to accumulate the crown."

"Leukemia and Piedmont? Who are they?"

"Leukothea and Palaimon. You will see." Thanatos seemed sure of himself. "Xanthos will take us there."

I recalled that being the name of the freaky horse from the night before. But it didn't make any sense. Couldn't Xanthos just take us straight to Ithaca? What was the point of getting some crown and a pair of sandals to do other random crap?

"Can't Xanthos take us directly to Ithaca?" I asked.

Again with the thin-lined Thanatos smile!

"I want you to do it my way. I promise it will be worth your while."

I shrugged. There was nothing I could say, I'm sure, that could have changed his mind. I'd chance that he was excited about it, but that was pushing it. Thanatos? Excited? Psh! Please…

"YES, MY LORD."

Xanthos was rather accommodating when Thanatos made the commands. I supposed it was his job to obey the gods of the Underworld. Considering they were all dark and spooky standing next to each other, I knew they must have come from the same place. I got onto Xanthos behind Than (I resolved that I would give him a nickname whether he liked it or not) and readied myself for the abnormal speed of a demon horse.

Next thing I knew, we were on a cliff face; a promontory jutting out over the sea. The waves crashed, spraying white foam. I couldn't see a cave anywhere.

"Uh, where is this cave you were talking about?" I asked.

Xanthos just poofed into nothingness, probably because we had no further use for him having reached our destination. Thanatos held out his arms to me.

"The cave is below. There are some rocks, and then the mouth. I will have to fly you down. But it is a short flight. Do not fear."

Instead of arguing, I just held on. His wings were suddenly there, and we were descending to the rocks. He set me down carefully on them first, and then landed himself. I accidentally slipped; the rocks were slippery from the sea constantly licking them. He grasped my hand and pulled me away from the edge. I thumped against him.

"Th-Thanks," I stuttered.

He instantly released me, and turned away to face the cave. Was he trying to hide his face?

"This is the entrance. Follow me. Stay close."

I slunk behind him, mirroring his every step. We trekked down a long, narrow path underground, which eventually opened into a cavernous hold. My jaw dropped.

It was lavishly furnished, but with objects made probably from things of the sea. Shells and dried seaweed and netting some sort. There were chairs, and the walls were shimmering. It was though the wallpaper, or whatever you called it, was lined with iridescent paper like what lined the inside of an oyster shell. I saw stairways carved into the very stone of the cave, which led to many other chambers. The amazement did not end there.

A woman entered from another chamber. No, not a woman, she was far too beautiful; she was a goddess! She had foam-white skin, and salt-and-pepper hair. It was tied up, ornamented with colorful seashells. She had strings of pearls tied around her neck and wrists, and he dress was entirely spun with seaweed. Though she looked like a graceful young woman, something about her eyes, and the way she carried herself, made her seem wise and ancient and powerful. I hid behind Than.

"Leukothea," Thanatos said.

"Akherontis." Her voice had a regal tone. One of her eyebrows disappeared under a stray bang. "To what do I owe this…Unexpected visit?"

"I seek to have a loan of Amphitrite's crown. I thought perhaps you could assist me in obtaining it."

"Yes, of course, I believe I can send my son with you and—Who is this?"

She stared past Thanatos, her light eyes boring into me without reservation. I shivered.

"This mortal is under my charge for the moment. I cannot take her along. If I may, I would solicit that she could remain here until I return."

"Yes, of course." There was a touch of amusement in the goddess' eyes, but she called down into another chamber without delay.

"Palaimon!"

A young man came trotting out.

"Yes, mother?"

He had bronzed skin, slightly amphibious to the eyes, and short-ish, blond hair. He wore nothing save for a cloth of fish scales tied around his waist.

"Thanatos? This is a surprise." He whistled.

"I need you to go with Akherontis. He wishes to borrow the crown of Amphitrite," she explained.

"Ah, I see." The youth smirked.

"Where may I leave Am—the mortal?" Thanatos asked.

"This way." Leukothea gestured to a room, and led us.

I cringed back. There was a sofa, and loud machine gun noises coming from a TV set. The floor was buried in videogame boxes, and all the electronics were covered with plastic. The detail that stood out the most was the fact that the entire room was flooded in knee-deep salt water. He turned his head to look at us. And by 'he' I mean a very large half shark, half man. His flesh was rubbery and gray, and he was man-like from waist-up. But from waist-down, he had the tail-end of a shark. He had gills, sharp claws, and very pointy teeth. Clutching a game controller in his hands, he grinned across the chamber at us toothily.

"She may stay with Akheilos," Leukothea said. "He is living with us."

I wasn't sure this was the safest set-up, but if this monstrous shark-person was playing videogames, maybe he wasn't so bad?

"Uh, nice to meet you," I said.

"Likewise," Akheilos said, still grinning.

Leukothea left us, and I led Thanatos to the corner for a private talk.

"Are you really going to leave me here?" I hissed.

"You will be all right. They cannot violate the laws of hospitality and harm you without consequence," he assured me.

"But Thanatos, I…"

"I will be back soon."

I sloshed over to Akheilos and dropped into the sofa beside him. The bottom of my skirt and my shoes were now completely drenched. I didn't really like how it felt.

"My name is Amarante," I said.

"That's an interesting name for a mortal nowadays," Akheilos commented, then stared over my shoulder. Thanatos was lingering in the doorway next to Palaimon, scowling at Akheilos.

"You can go now," Akheilos called, laughing. "I promise I won't bite her."

Thanatos scoffed and left, Palaimon close behind.

"Wow, he has it bad," Akheilos muttered under his breath.

"What?" I blinked.

"Never mind." He paused, staring at me for a moment.

"Want to play a videogame with me?" he asked finally.

I shrugged. "Sure."


	5. Chapter 5: Greek Mythology 101

Author's Note: I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but I've been very busy with the winding down of school; we have a week and a half left, and I'm much like a headless chicken running aorund, so... I hope this will do for now, and I promise the next chapter will be more substantial. Enjoy!

--

Chapter 5: Greek Mythology 101

"Curses! I lost again!" Akheilos cried.

Smugly, I laid the controller into my lap and arched back. We'd been at it forever. I had to stretch. 'Game Over' flashed repeatedly on the TV.

"You're really good," he breathed.

"I'm not a typical girly-girl," I said. "I can hold my own with videogames."

"I couldn't tell looking at you," Akheilos said sarcastically. He smirked; as much as point-toothed shark people could smirk.

I brought my knees to my stomach, wringing the bottom of my skirt between my hands. A thick line of water squeezed out. My feet were beginning to feel wrinkly in my soaked shoes. As much as I was begging to like Akheilos, this flooded room wasn't the most comfortable I'd ever been.

"You know, I can't tell a lot of things looking at you," I retorted.

Akheilos' smirk faded.

"Oh, I guess you don't know anything about me, huh?"

I shook my head.

"I didn't always look like this," he began, setting his game controller aside. I watched him, eager to hear his explanation; I knew it was coming.

"What happened?"

"I used to be mortal, just like you," he said, and scratched at his scalp. He had straight, long silver hair and wide black eyes, much like Thanatos did in his true form.

"Actually, I think I was around your age, or maybe a bit older, when it happened," he continued. "I used to be really handsome. I liked to say so, too; that I was beautiful."

I listened intently.

"But, Aphrodite is the goddess of beauty, and gods get jealous of those who rival them. So she cursed me for boasting, and now I'm a Daimon. I will be ugly for the rest of eternity," he said, solemn.

"That's so mean!" I exclaimed. "How can they be so petty?!"

"Shh!" He glanced around, clearly alarmed at my outburst. "Don't speak ill of the gods, or they'll curse you, too! They have no mercy on those who blaspheme."

I quit flapping my jaw and looked away. Three days ago I wouldn't have believed in the angry, wrathful gods of the ancient world. But now that I had physical evidence of their frivolous pet peeves gone wrong in Akheilos, I was convinced. I probably did not want to push their buttons and tempt them to turn me into a monkey or something.

"What about the gods who live in this cave?" I asked.

"Palaimon and Leukothea were once human, too."

"Really?" I gaped.

"Well, see, Zeus is famous for being unfaithful to Hera. He had the god Dionysos with a human woman named Semele. So Hera couldn't do anything to the baby he asked Hermes to hide him somewhere. Leukothea was named Ino at the time, and Semele's sister, so she agreed to take care of Dionysos. But Hera made her life hell after that. Eventually Hera drove her insane and she jumped off a cliff. Melikertes, her son, was also clasped in her arms when she jumped."

My eyes widened in horror.

"Though, the gods took pity on the two of them, and made them into gods of the sea. Melikertes is Palaimon, by the way. They took me in."

Curious. I wondered why Akheilos had to stay with them. What happened to his family? Who were they?

"And why are you here, anyway?" I asked.

Akheilos winced.

"Let's just say my mother isn't the most…Motherly person in the world nowadays."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Lamia, my mother, is now a child-murdering monster," he stated bluntly.

My stomach twisted into knots. Yeah, that would definitely do it! I kicked my feet absentmindedly, splashing in the water.

"What about you?" Akheilos asked.

"Hm?"

"What are you doing with Thanatos?"

I smirked.

"We had a chance encounter in the woods by my hotel. I got forced into being his tour guide for modern Greece. It seems he's on a vacation of some sort. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about Greece, I'm from America."

Akheilos clicked his tongue.

"Wow. That really is unfortunate. I always thought he was scary. He just looks so severe. It gives me the creeps."

I giggled.

"He-ey! I think he's nice."

Akheilos gave me an incredulous look.

"Thanatos? Nice? You have got to be kidding me!"

I waved my hands in front of me frantically.

"Don't get me wrong, he can be very scary! But I think it's more of a front, or just how he's used to appearing. If you get to know him, he can be interesting to talk to; and pleasant company! He saved me twice. He never actually smiles, but he does this thing with his mouth that's like the equivalent of a smile for him." I thought for a moment, recalling how the TV had baffled him. "Sometimes he's rather cute, and a little childlike considering how old he is. Or maybe I could say he acts like an old-timer…"

"Cute and childlike?!" Akheilos started to laugh. "Okay, now I definitely think you're crazy!"

I pouted.

"Have you ever talked to him for anything length of time? Do you even know him?!" I snapped.

"Well, no, but--"

"Then you can't say I'm crazy! Don't judge people! Thanatos has done a lot for me already, and he is really not that bad of a guy!"

I folded my arms over my chest crossly, and pouted my lips. I felt like a little kid throwing a tantrum. Akheilos chuckled.

"I think you like him."

"Of course I like him! He's been nice to me, and--"

"No, I mean you like him. Like him. You know." He nudged me with his elbow and winked.

My face went hot, and I hid it behind my hands.

"I knew it." He gave a firm nod. "Thanatos is very lucky, if he isn't too dense to notice. I'm sure he'd be happy; if he can even let himself be happy, that is."

"Why do you say that?" I managed to ask.

"Can't you tell? He's--"

We were interrupted. Leukothea stood at the entrance of the chamber. I expected her to be standing in the water, but instead she was literally standing on top of it as though it were the most natural thing in the world. She had her hands folded neatly in front of her, and I flushed as she gave me a small smile. Had she overhead our conversation?

"You charge has returned from his trip," she announced, quirking a pale brow. "He seems impatient that the two of you should leave. He wanted to fetch you himself, but I told him I would do it. He's standing in the hall."

She gestured.

"Oh, okay." I rose from the sofa. I wanted to see Thanatos, but I would be sad to leave who I'd hoped was now my friend.

"Akheilos, thank you for talking to me." I gave an awkward bow that nearly made me fall over.

He grinned. His sharp teeth flashed, but not in a frightening way.

"Don't mention it. Will you come to visit me us again?"

I smiled.

"If I can come back, I will. Bye!"

I waded through the water, and followed Leukothea.

Thanatos waited at the center of the entrance hall, scowling. He tapped his foot, most likely impatient to be done with it all and carry me off again. The moment he spotted me, he rushed forward to meet me.

"There you are. Come. Time is short."

"Shouldn't we say goodbye?"

"I have said my farewells. Come now."

He pivoted and headed towards the exit, and though I was about to protest, I trotted after him afraid to be left behind. We emerged into the sunlight, and I was almost blinded by the brightness of it. I had been in a flooded cave for a while, after all…

Just as we got onto the rocks, Thanatos lifted his gaze, black eyes fixed on the sky. I followed his gaze, and gawked. Another rather young-looking, handsome guy, except one who was floating in the air, smirked down at us. He had exceptionally white teeth, short wavy brown hair, a helmet with wings on it, and a matching gold staff. He wore a blue tunic, and winged sandals. What really stood out were his Ray Ban sunglasses. They just didn't make any sense in comparison to the rest of him.

"What's this?" he piped.

Thanatos did not say anything.

"What are you doing here?" the youth asked.

"I had business to take care of," Thanatos stated, in a monotone.

I hid behind Thanatos, hoping the god (as I'm sure he was a god) would not notice me.

"And what are you doing here?" Thanatos countered.

The god shrugged.

"I'm the messenger. It's what I do."

"It is just as well. I sought to contact you anyhow, Hermes."

Hermes, I guess, blinked.

"You wanted to contact me? Ha!" He threw back his head in a laugh.

"That is something new! Why?"

Thanatos hesitated, and then he stepped away from me. Hermes' eyes moved from him to me. He stared at me for a moment, not saying a word. Then all of the sudden he started cracking up.

"HAHAH! Thanatos and… AHAHAHA! A MORTAL—HAHA-GIRL!"

He flew up a few feet, doubled over in pangs of laughter.

I was beet red by then. I glanced at Thanatos. A low, guttural sound was emanating from him. Then, a crackle; the rocks beneath his feet were beginning to give way as he clenched his fists. I became alarmed.

"Thanatos, the rocks!" I hissed.

I pulled him from his angered state, and detecting what his discontent was doing to the rocks under us, he tried to calm himself. He seemed either flustered or embarrassed that he allowed himself to react in such a way without perceiving it.

"I need," he addressed Hermes, "…To borrow your sandals."

"My sandals?" Hermes, whose laughter had died down, did chuckle at that.

"Yes."

Hermes tapped a finger against his cheek thoughtfully.

"All right. I shall lend them to you, but you owe me. You will know how to repay me when the time comes," he said.

Thanatos gave a curt nod.

Hermes drew close to us, still hovering about a foot above the rocks. He bent and undid his sandals, then tossed the pair to Thanatos. Thanatos caught them deftly.

"See you around, god of death," Hermes said, and his feet became planting firmly upon the ground. I supposed he couldn't fly without the sandals. He left, strolling leisurely down the cavern opening.

Thanatos sighed and beckoned to me.

"Come. I will take you to the top of the cliff, and then I will explain to you how you may use these sandals."

"Do you think I will be able to handle them?" I asked, uncertain.

"Certainly. There is nothing to them."


	6. Chapter 6: We're Flying Through The Air

I supported myself against a fairly large boulder and stripped off my sneakers. I wasn't quite sure how to put on the sandals, as there were two long straps draped through leather loops in the leather and hanging from out from the top. I assumed I had to wind both straps around my calves in a crossing pattern, but it took me a few tries to get the straps tied tightly enough in order for them not to slip to my ankles.

Thanatos studied me, and though he attempted to mask it with a stern expression, I swear I caught a vague twinkle of amusement in his dark eyes. The irony of my struggle with the shoes from my time period paralleled his struggle with the coat at the shop, where I'd been most impatient with him. Now I found myself in the selfsame predicament, and could hardly claim I was doing any better. If I could allege to anything, I did not take fifteen minutes as he had.

"Okay, they're on," I said.

Thanatos unfolded his arms.

"Now then, it is quite simple. Initially you must desire to fly, and your mind shall control the movements of the sandals as long as you do not waver in concentration."

"I don't get it…"

"You will. Make an attempt. Go on."

I swallowed. My legs trembled. Heights, right? I guessed I could handle it. I glared at the sandals, focusing mainly on the tiny wings. I willed them to move, to take me up into the air.

The tiny appendages quivered, and began to flap with such speed that they hummed. My feet lifted off of the earth, but I did not stop there. I kept ascending and ascending and—Wow, Thanatos had suddenly become very small. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach.

"Ah! Ah! Ahhhhhh!" I shrieked, and the little wings faltered.

I dropped a couple of feet, but managed not to fall flat on my face with frantic flapping of my arms. Someone was laughing at me. Well; actually, they were chuckling faintly. I didn't see anyone else, so it had to be Thanatos. Thanatos? Seriously?!

He'd extended his own wings and risen up to my level.

"Calm," he said, offering his hand.

I inhaled sharply and grasped it.

"On my lead."

He floated sideways.

I followed his action with my eyes, and wished sorely that I could follow physically. To my utter delight, the wings mimicked my thoughts. I beamed.

"Hey! I did it!"

Thanatos nodded.

"Exactly. As long as you believe you can fly and that you may move in any direction you so choose, the winged sandals will obey you. Similarly, if you wish to land, you are able to do so as well."

"Oh, I get it now!"

I witnessed a cloud creeping up below us, and I dived down to linger by it. I resolved that I would only fall if I believed I would, so there was absolutely no point in panicking. I could fly, and I would enjoy myself if it killed me!

"Which way are the islands, then?" I asked.

"South of here, at the end of the peninsula," Thanatos replied.

"Well, let's go!" I exclaimed, and tore off into the sky without him.

"I knew you would be eager if you could fly of your own accord," he commented.

The trees were specks. The mountains and hills and bodies of water wove under us like elongated snakes. In the distance, the sea sparkled with the magnificence of sunshine. It reminded me of a Celtic folk song I'd listened to once before. I liked strange music sometimes. I felt like singing.

"I'm going to sing you a bit of a song, okay?"

Thanatos glided beside me, and arched a brow.

"I fail to see the purpose of doing so."

I sniffled.

"Because I feel like it! I thought of a song that fits!"

"Very well, then."

I cleared my throat, and sang a few lines. Not amazingly, but decently. I would never succeed as an American Idol.

"We're flying through the air.

We're dancing in the moonlit sky,

And people everywhere will greet us as we fly.

Children gaze open-mouthed,

Taken by surprise.

Nobody down below

Believed their eyes. "

Thanatos regarded me quietly.

"It is not a moonlit sky."

I slapped a hand to my forehead. The momentary distraction caused the need to dodge an incoming cloud.

"No! But it's close enough! Later in the song there's a line that says, 'I'm finding I can fly so high above with you," I informed him.

"I do not know the song nor care for it. But alas, we are at our destination."

He pointed, and sure enough, the southern coast lay directly ahead. Not much further, I spotted a large grouping of scattered islands.

"We should return to Gaia a fair distance from the costal village," he said.

A little town of sea-side homes and several taller buildings clustered around the very tip of the peninsula. Gradually we dropped to lower latitudes, and touched down in a growth of brush for cover; about half a mile circa the town. I doubted anyone would find flying people ordinary, so it was perhaps best not to be detected.

I took off the sandals and replaced them with my Vans, then stashed the sandals in my bag (which I carried with me everywhere if I hadn't mentioned this before). We roamed into town, and I located a phone booth.

"What are you doing?" Thanatos asked.

I poked through the phonebook hanging by a thin chain, attached to the payphone.

"I'm seeing what there is to do here," I replied.

The town had a movie theater some blocks down to road to my right. I thought that maybe Thanatos would be interested in a projected film on a giant screen with amplifiers; much louder and more impressive than a simple hotel TV set.

"Hey, come with me," I said, and began to plod down the narrow avenue.

"Have you chosen?" he called after me.

Not long after, he added, "I do not like to be left behind."

I slowed just enough for him to catch up. We fell into stride. I didn't say anything else for the remainder of the walk, but smiled secretively as we neared the cinema.

"What is this?" he asked. "Why will you not tell me?"

"It's a surprise," I said.

Once we were inside, I purchased two adult tickets to the latest Pirates movie, as well as one medium Coke and an extra-large bag of popcorn. There didn't seem to be many others in the place, so as soon as we got to Theatre Three, I chose two middle seats in the front row.

The trailers started up almost without delay, and Thanatos stood abruptly and made to survey the screen as he'd done back in the hotel room. His shadow blocked my view of the trailer actress' teeth.

"Thanatos, please sit down and just watch, okay?" I pleaded.

He complied begrudgingly.

"What are these?" he asked, and did not wait for an answer. He scooped a handful of popcorn out from my bag.

"It's a type of food," I said. "It's called 'popcorn'."

"'Popcorn'?"

He popped a few into his mouth and munched.

"Mostly flavorless, except for a bit of something--"

"Salt and butter?" I offered.

"I do not know."

The opening credits rolled, and more or less five minutes into the thing, epic pirate battle scenes commenced.

Thanatos shoved handfuls of popcorn one by one into his slackened jaw; and just as with Spongebob, he appeared entirely immersed. I was the unhappy spectator as my "well" of popcorn diminished at an alarming rate. Finally, I handed him the whole bag so he could knock himself out. I stuck to my Coke.

After a while, Thanatos glances down into the popcorn bag, finding his supply completely exhausted. He gave me one light tap on the shoulder.

"They are gone," he whispered.

"You finished them all," I hissed.

He watched the move silently for a few minutes more. Then he tapped me again.

"I do not understand this." He beckoned to the film.

"I didn't think you would get it. You haven't see the other movies, so--"

"No, I mean that I do not understand the point of the plot. Why is this vulgar lifestyle so enviable?"

I gaped in disbelief.

"Are you kidding me? There's swash-buckling action! Pirates are fun! They swordfight, they get drunk and act silly, and sail the world on beautiful ships! They are the very definition of free!"

I watched Captain Sparrow sway, mixing his words in barely coherent sentences.

"And Jack Sparrow is extremely attractive," I added. "That's a plus for the female persuasion. His life is really exciting, too. We want in on that."

Thanatos went rigid.

"You would chose to live such a life with him?"

I knew he was not trying to sound cold, but I could tell. I questioned myself, attempting to assess why he was suddenly on edge.

"Well, yes, if I loved him and he loved me, I'd follow him to the World's End or farther," I said.

"I see." Thanatos fidgeted with his hands. It's been a while since I'd seen him do that.

"Well, don't you think that if someone is in love they should be willing to do anything for that person?"

"I have met Love. There is nothing remarkable about him," Thanatos muttered.

"Have you ever been in love?" I asked.

"That is none of your concern, mortal," he snapped.

"It was just a question," I murmured. "You don't need to be all offended."

We sat in silence, until Thanatos broke it by offering a timid reason.

"After all… I am Death. I am neither made to love nor to be loved in return. A life with me, whether temporary or eternal, would be indubitably loathsome."

"I don't think so," I said, but in a shy tone. "I don't think you are awful at all."

Thanatos turned his face away. For a second, I could have sworn he blushed. My heartbeat quickened. Maybe Akheilos was right. Maybe I really did have a thing for Thanatos. I hadn't known him for very long, but his awkwardness was endearing to me. I considered that perhaps there was something there.

I did admire him; how his silver curls tumbled nearly to his curved shoulders, the manner in which the corners of his mouth turned down in a solemn, brooding expression. He had a distant, apathetic glaze in his black eyes; where I saw the endless void of isolation from even his own kind, and the magnitude of his loneliness and sorrow that existed somewhere inside of him. He was so awkward and so quiet; and like an old man, felt, in a way, forlorn and feeble. And yet, he appeared hauntingly beautiful and eternally young. I wanted to see what it looked like if he smiled for real.

The rest of the movie passed with little consequence. I said nothing more and he said nothing more. I finished my Coke. I drifted into a reverie and contemplated Death; but not in the usual sense. I entertained the idea that he truly wasn't monstrous, but only seemed and acted so due to preconceptions bestowed upon him by gods and men. I chanced that he'd left me alive when we first met because I had reacted out of the norm, and now treated him as I'd treat anyone—with sincere kindness. In reality, I had nothing against him or his nature. He was simply what he was meant to be.

"I believe it is over," Thanatos said.

Indeed. The end credits scrolled down, thematic music blaring.

I stumbled from my chair.

"I guess we should leave."

I took his empty bag and tossed it and my cup into the trash.

"Where next?" he asked.

"I'm hungry again," I said.

He frowned.

"You are always hungry," he observed.

"That's what it's like being human," I replied. "Three square meals a day."

"Are they really square-shaped?"

"It's just an expression, Than," I sighed.

He wrinkled his nose.

"'Than'?"

"It's your nickname," I answered.

"Nickname?"

"Like an epithet, almost."

"Epithets are different. I am, for instance, 'Akherontis', which means 'the Woeful'."

"Well, I'm calling you 'Than'. Period," I argued.

A puff of air escaped from between his lips.

"If you wish," he said.

I grinned. I expected him to put up more of a fight.

My stomach gave a tell-tale growl.

"I feel like pasta," I noted aloud. Before Than could ask, I said, "You'll find out what it is when you see it."

He bit down on his bottom lip, resentful.

"It seems you are becoming accustomed to my presence, little one. Beware. I may poison your mind with increased exposure."

"Oh, don't say that. I like having you around. I can't imagine why everyone is so afraid of you," I said, shrugging.

"You do not find me threatening?" Thanatos narrowed his eyes.

He sent chills down my spine whenever he did that. He was decidedly threatening.

"It's not that. I just feel like no one ever tries hard enough to get to know you."

"What is there left to know? I take unborn infants, the frail elderly--"

"You watched Spongebob Squarepants! You ate my entire bag of popcorn!"

"And?"

"And you aren't as horrible as people say," I continued. "In fact, I wish we were friends. I feel much happier now that I have someone to hang out with on this trip. Looking back, I think it would have been really boring alone."

"You… Enjoy my presence?" He didn't sound convinced.

"I do!" I asserted. "I enjoy it immensely!"

Thanatos looked intently at me. I was half certain he thought I was lying. He thought I was saying it only to earn his favor, as he was a god.

"You know what? Fine. You don't have to believe me. But I do enjoy it just the same. I swear on my sister's head! Or something like that, anyway…"

"We will see," Thanatos said. "Now, should we not seek out that 'pasta' of yours?"

"Oh, yeah… We should."

I laughed. How could I have forgotten? Oh, maybe it was because Thanatos was so emo and needed reassurance from me that he wasn't the most terrible being in the history of the universe. He required some tireless convincing. I had my work cut out for me. How I would accomplish this task I didn't know, but I could only hope that I'd do it without losing myself on the way or falling in love with him. Because, like it or not, he'd be gone from my life at the end of the week, and I wouldn't see him again until it was my time to die.

What a lovely catastrophe I had gotten myself mixed up in!


	7. Chapter 7: The Little Mermaid?

It took some careful navigating through the streets to get us to the pastaria; or whatever they called it in Greece. I supposed 'pastaria' was the Italian word for it. I didn't want to get lost like I had in Athens, though this seaside village was substantially smaller and easier to figure out. The place sat at the corner of a building block. It was modest and ramshackle, but that didn't merit a correct method of determining how good the food was. The most unexpected places in Europe usually had the best food, albeit the slightest restaurant building with paper cups and plates.

Upon entering, I immediately sought a two-person table in a corner; which I guessed Thanatos preferred, in any case. There weren't any actual waiters or waitresses; just a big board on the far side of the room with the lunch items listed on it. In order to get one's food, a person would have to go up to the cashier and order. The food would be made, your name called, and you'd go up to the counter to pick it up. I couldn't read the board. It was in Greek lettering.

"Uhm, Thanatos…"

"Yes?"

"I need your help."

Thanatos drummed his fingers on the table surface.

"What do you require of me?"

"See that board over there?"

"Yes…"

I blushed.

"I can't read it."

Thanatos' snowy brow wrinkled.

"Can you tell me where it says 'spaghetti'?" I asked.

He said nothing, but directed his gaze to the board.

"It reads something similar there," he said, but did not tell me where it was or the exact word.

"I guess I will just have to say 'spaghetti' and see if they understand," I sighed.

He didn't comment.

"Do you want anything?"

"I am not hungry. I am never hungry," he said.

"Do you at least want to try something?"

He paused, and then shrugged.

"I have been more experimental these days than I have for centuries," he replied. "I can have a taste of your 'spaghetti', but otherwise I see no purpose in getting something more. You need not spend your currency on me for the moment."

I waddled over to the counter, and very awkwardly, asked for spaghetti. The female cashier spoke something in Greek that sounded nearly what I'd requested, so I agreed to take whatever it was, and hoped it turned out to be what I'd initially desired. I asked for an orange Fanta, as well. I couldn't live on Coke indefinitely, after all.

"Did you make the correct assumption?" he inquired as I dropped into my seat.

"I hope so," I muttered.

"I would not fret. I am certain it is edible either way; at least for you," he said.

That didn't reassure me much, but I didn't mind trying new foods. A few minutes later, the woman called me up. But it was indeed spaghetti, drowned in white sauce, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. I thanked whatever greater power had blessed me (the idea of one Supreme Being didn't seem plausible with Thanatos seated not too far away) my favorite preparation of spaghetti, and carried the tray with my lunch over to the table.

Thanatos rested his chin on the edge of his hand, eyeing my pasta.

"It is strange," he stated nonchalantly.

"Not to me!" I exclaimed. "It's my favorite!"

I twirled some long noodles around my plastic fork and transferred them from the plate into my mouth. Oh, just how I loved them… I was inexplicably happy right then; sitting at a table with a sexy god and eating Alfredo spaghetti noodles. Thanatos watched me eating, silent. I supposed he either did not feel like talking, or did not wish to interrupt me. Either way, it became increasingly unnerving having his eyes on my face. I wasn't the most refined eater in the world. I dabbed at my mouth with a napkin self-consciously, not wanting to appear so sloppy.

"Do you want some?" I asked.

He picked a noodle off of my plate and dropped it into his mouth.

"It is edible," he affirmed, his tone cool.

He'd accused me of becoming too comfortable with his presence earlier, but it seemed to me that it wasn't occurring on just my end. Either gods had no sense of etiquette, or Thanatos figured I didn't mind his reaching uninvited into my plate of food with his hand and snatching up noodles. He could have at least used a fork… I frowned without realizing it.

"Is something amiss?" he asked, catching my expression.

I shook my head. Best not mention it lest he get angry.

"What are we to do in Ithaka, aside from seek the ruins of Odysseus' abode?" he inquired further.

"Ithaca? Uhm, well, the scenery is beautiful, I've heard. We could go hiking through the countryside and--"

"I care not for the wonders of Nature," he said.

"Well, too bad," I huffed. "I want to do it."

His mouth stretched into his trademark thin line, the Thanatos smile; as though he had expected my disagreement with him from the get-go. He did not argue with me.

"Very well," he said.

I didn't get him. I didn't get him at all. Not too long ago he was fighting me at every turn, and now he was freakishly passive. In fact, he appeared amused by it! Not only did I want to throw my plate of food into his face, I kind of wanted to jump over the table at him and kiss him. One of my hands went up through my hair, as I tried to rub the stress away from my head. All these confused feelings weren't assisting me in any way. I wished I could just ask him what he was thinking; sitting there looking so pensive, staring across the table at me unfalteringly. Not watching my food, not my eating; but just testing me and gauging my reactions, as though I was his new lab rat in some secret experiment only he was in on. What was he trying to determine? Did it have something to do with figuring out whether I enjoyed his presence or not, as I'd claimed earlier?

"Is there something on my face?" I asked, attempting to sound less on edge as I felt.

Thanatos, at the mention, averted his gaze in a casual manner to the window. He peered through it into the street, eye solemn. His deep, expressionless pools of black gave neither a mirror into his thoughts nor insight into his intentions. One thing was perfectly clear: he was thinking about something, and it involved me. Maybe he was getting bored with me. Maybe he was going to kill me soon.

I tried not to dwell on the idea, so I continued eating my spaghetti. I shoved all other things from my mind and focused on just how yummy the meal was. If I had to die, at least I had an enjoyable meal beforehand. Plate cleared, I downed my orange soda and dunked my trash into a garbage can.

"Shall we to take our leave?" Thanatos asked, drawing back his chair and standing.

I nodded, and raced out the door into the center of the street. Thanatos followed. Considering we needed to get to the island of Ithaca, we had to head for the beach. But I still didn't want to try swimming with a full stomach. I heard that swimming after eating resulted in nasty cramps. We had some time to kill. We could simply hang out on the beach for a bit, I supposed.

We strolled along the streets, quiet. We found no reason to converse. It wasn't that the atmosphere was strained. In fact, I felt not sense of tension between us; rather, a natural sense of ease. This didn't make sense because he was male and I found him attractive. To make matters worse, he was the god of death, and not a figment of my imagination. I had every right to be nervous 24/7 in his presence. But the lack of fear came from somewhere, and I didn't know what yet.

Eventually we got to the edge of town, and a long expanse of sandy beach. The sand was bleach white, in comparison to the tan beaches of California; or the sometimes black volcanic beaches of elsewhere which I'd seen plenty of pictures of—the big island of Hawaii, for example. I took off my shoes and dashed out into the waves of the Mediterranean; they lapped at the sand in steady rhythm. The water was pleasantly cool that day, especially with a blazing sun peeking out from one thin cloud above us.

Thanatos stood back on the beach, keeping away from the sea for the time being. I waded through the water, sometimes jumping and making splashes. The small waves curled and broke over my feet. I turned to collecting small shells from the sand. I heard him make a scoffing sound; something like a laugh to one who hardly laughed for real.

"Yes, I must look like childish to you, but I love the sea!" I proclaimed. "When my dad was around, he used to drive us out to the California coastline every weekend. We lived close by. The Pacific Ocean is a lot rougher than this."

Thanatos gave one nod.

I continued.

"I made sand castles, and had a huge seashell collection. We went fishing sometimes, too. I've always loved water—the ocean, rivers, lakes, rain…"

Thanatos appeared disinterested, staring out to the sea with a blank expression.

I frowned. Telling him anything about my life or my family was like talking to the wall. I'd never get commentary, and I'd never get his attention. He just didn't care about what it was like to be human. I was, and would always be, just a silly mortal with a petty fascination in things that had always existed to him. Nature, which he cared nothing for except when he had to take life from it. Love, which he seemed to bear an obvious contempt for. Probably all the things I cared for were actually just gods like him, whom he hated or never associated with anyway. It was terribly sad for the both of us.

"Am I boring you?" I asked timidly.

"No. Only, I believe that we must be moving," he stated. "Our time is pressing."

Was that all?

"Oh…"

I pulled some tissue paper from my bag and wrapped up the shells, then stowed them away in the bag with Hermes' sandals. I had to take something back to America with me aside from new clothes. Thanatos reached deep into the pocket of his black jeans, retrieving the famous 'Amphitrite's crown'. Said object was a diadem of white coral, admittedly very pretty. I hadn't the faintest idea what the point of attaining it was, so I decided to ask.

"What do we do with that, Than?"

Thanatos passed the crown over to me, and I turned it over carefully in my hands.

"When you place the crown atop your head, your body will change. You will become a Nereid, able to swim the distance to Ithaka."

I tried to make sense of this.

"So, like… A mermaid?" I asked.

"A Nereid," he repeated. Did he even understand what I meant?

I glanced down at the crown clasped between my hands, and began to fret. I didn't want to change into a fishy maid if it would be painful…

"Will it…Hurt?"

Thanatos frowned.

"I do not know. I have never experienced such a change with the utilization of Amphitrite's crown."

I sighed. Things were not going to become any easier for me, so I had no choice but to take a chance and put the damn thing on my head.

"Well," I said, "Here goes."

I lifted the crown above me, lowering it onto my average-sized cranium with deliberation. The metamorphosis was immediate. It wasn't any more painful than growing a new tooth, except it felt very strange and occurred much faster. My legs fused together and the bones within them combined and shifted. Silver scales tiled over the skin of my legs, and what was one two human legs become one large fish tail below my still-human waist with fins at its end. Slits opened at my neck, below my jaw line; gills. Overall, my new parts felt abnormal and alien to me. I didn't much like it. And needless to say, I dropped over onto my side, unable to stand any longer. My lower undergarments had also ripped apart, and I stashed the shreds at once into my bag with more than a hint of embarrassment. I resolved that I also looked rather silly wearing my denim skirt, so I unzipped it and removed it, shoving it into my bag with everything else. Thanatos didn't watch me remove and pack the garments. He averted his eyes in an awkward manner.

"So, a mermaid," I informed him.

"A Nereid," he reiterated.

"Whatever. Get me into the water. I feel all dry."

He bent without another word, scooping me into his arms princess-style. I tried not to blush as he carried me, merely tightening my arms around his neck for a sense of security. He lowered me carefully into the water, and the sensation of the waves licking my scales was somehow welcoming. I tried to wiggle my lower half, as I assumed a dolphin would, and found myself being propelled into deeper water, but still the shallows of the beach. I submersed myself, soaking my hair; and the rest of me, for the matter, and then resurfaced a few yards away.

"How are you going to swim with me?" I called.

Thanatos answered by wading out towards me, until the water level became even with his hips. He flew with a long leap into the water. As he did, his own lower half transformed into a tail like mine. Except his fins appeared 'manlier' for a fish person, probably for a merman--more spiked and vicious--though I knew they only seemed that way by appearance. They probably felt as thin and feathery as mine. He swam up skillfully, completely underwater. With a splash, he burst forth from the depths beside me. His metallic-colored curls hung tight and damp on his neck, clinging to his alabaster skin.

"I may alter forms whensoever I choose," he explained.

"Well, then. Tag, you're it!" I pressed a hand to his shoulder and dived. I took off as fast as I could, cutting through the water. I swam fifteen feet out, but twisted into a halt when I realized Thanatos wasn't pursuing me.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"You're supposed to try and catch me," I panted.

"I do not play children's games," he said.

I scowled.

"Oh, come on. It's fun!"

"I care nothing for fun."

Oh, was he serious!? How annoying!

"Fine. Whatever. Let's go."

That's when he shot past me, just under the surface of the azure water. I gaped, ironically, like a fish.

He emerged, far off in the distance, actually laughing. Really laughing!

"But I will challenge you to a race!" he cried.

"Oh, you're on!" I screamed, and tore off after him. He headed off in the opposite direction. Just when I thought I would pass him, he sped up just a bit. Just a tad, so as he could stay slightly ahead of me. He allowed a peek over his shoulder, so he could flash me a triumphant smirk. Laughing and smirking! Two firsts in one day! On the other hand, now I knew he wasn't even trying!

"That's not fair! You can swim better than me!" I whined.

We were able to speak just as well underwater, though words had a muffled quality to them. Catching me off guard, he suddenly slowed. I hurtled past him, and he gave chase. I giggled and tried to keep away, evading his attempts to seize me by zigzagging and tumbling in loops. A few times I swore he grinned, and my heart fluttered both from the edge of exhaustion and excitement, as well as from the thought he might actually be having a good time in my company.

I tried to feign a turn to throw him off. But Thanatos knew better. He cut me short and grabbed me firmly by the shoulders. I struggled, striving to loosen his grip and slip away. I found I could not. He'd finally caught me. I accepted defeat, now unmoving. I laughed and laughed until my stomach hurt. My hair fanned out in the open water, forming an auburn halo around my head. I met his dark eyes, my own twinkling with some form of amusement. It was right then that a transition occurred on his features that nearly made my heart stop…

Thanatos' eyes burned, rapt. His lips parted. Death's fierce, indulgent gaze upon me was unable to mask the reality of what he truly felt in that moment. One of his hands, heaven knows how it got there, fell over my cheek. He brushed his thumb across my skin.

His mouth formed three words I could scarcely believe. It was though the revelation of the truth bewildered him as greatly as it did me…Because as the words were spoken, he shrank back as though he'd been scalded; as though touching me was painful. Then he was gone so quickly I thought I must have imagined the entire thing.

My eyes stared forward blankly; glazed. My flesh tingled where his thumb had skimmed it. As for Thanatos, he was swimming ahead now, yards and yards away. I could do nothing but follow, and nothing was said for the remainder of the way to Ithaka.


	8. Author's Update Information

Author's Note: My apologies to everyone on the wait for Chapter 8. I am working on the chapter, and it is already at two pages, but I've been busy yet again. Finding the time to complete it has proven difficult. I assure you that the chapter will be up sometime next week, and will replace this entry, so please check up on the story to catch it. Thank you for your patience.


	9. Chapter 8: Wow

Author's Note: I AM SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT! Not only did my computer crash and kill everything on it (my images, drawings, saved conversations and poems), it killed all the chapters I wrote for this story. I already had three solid and excellent pages for Chapter 8 that I lost, so this chapter was completely rewritten today, and probably nowhere nearly as good as the pages that my PC destroyed… So as I write from my laptop, I again apologize for the long wait on this chapter… I hope you all enjoy it anyway, because most of you know what it's like to lose a document and have to rewrite it from scratch—ABSOLUTELY NO FUN!

--

We did not converse further until we arrived on the coast of Ithaca. It occurred to me that I had to take off Amphitrite's crown in order to change back into a normal human female, but I had no undergarments to speak of, and my clothing was soaked anyway. Although what had transpired between us back in the sea remained fresh and unquestioned in my mind (and his, from his evasive behavior; he did not talk, so much as look at me), I resolved that I had to speak up on the matter of my clothing unless I wanted to be thoroughly soaked and mermaid-like on the beach for the rest of the day.

"Thanatos, I don't know if you noticed, but all of my clothing is wet and useless at the moment," I murmured. "I am going to need a change of clothes; otherwise I can't leave this beach."

I stretched my tail out on the sand, already starting to feel uncomfortably dry around its scale edges.

Thanatos stole a quick glance at me that lasted a breadth of half a second, at most. He replied with a similarly quiet voice.

"That is unnecessary. I can dry your garments for you."

He gathered some flotsam and debris that'd washed up on the shore around us, bits of driftwood and dried seaweed, and sifted it into a fairly neat little pile. To my astonishment, he reached to the pile, and the debris erupted into tongues of blue flame.

"Your garments?" he asked uncertainly.

"Oh! Uh…"

I managed to crawl behind a fairly large boulder, removing the crown from atop my head. The transformation back into a girl was instantaneous. I stripped off the remainder of what I wore, retrieved the denim skirt from my back, and flung my shirt and the skirt over the boulder to him. He caught both articles adeptly and flattened them out on sand and stones beside the fire. A blue fire was decidedly not normal, and paired with the fact it had been created by the god of death, I was sure that my clothes would be dry in no time.

Now that I didn't have to worry about standing naked behind a boulder all day, my mind drifted onto the more pressing subject of, again, what had transpired between us in the sea. Were those three 

words sincere, or accidental? Those times he'd looked at me with such longing and pain… He reprimanded me for being comfortable with his presence, but he'd altogether become mutually comfortable with mine; and I knew it.

My cheek tingled; the place where his fingertips had skimmed my skin. What would he say if I dared to ask? What would he do if I said I wanted him to touch me again? I became choked with the thought of truth. I wanted to ask him if he meant it. I needed to ask if he meant it. I thought he would be a heartless god…

"Thanatos," I began.

As though he interpreted my tone and intention, Thanatos cringed. He didn't see me peering around the boulder at him, but I had to see his reaction to my words. His brows furrowed and his expression became strained. I saw such sorrow and helplessness in his eyes.

"What is it, little one?" he managed finally.

"Back in the sea…" I continued, my heart wrenching, "When you said… Did you mean it?"

Thanatos' eyelids drooped, and he covered his face with one hand. He hunched over for a time. I almost thought he would never answer. But suddenly, he straightened himself. His eyes remained closed for the time being, as he tried to force the words out. He looked so pained by them.

"Amarante, I…"

My name! He hardly used it!

His eyes shot open and the words blurted out from his mouth with a matter of urgency.

"I think I have… No, I know I have! I have fallen in love with you, and I apologize for my audacity in loving you and ever hoping for you to return my feelings. I am loathsome; I am monstrous and cruel, and my touch does not distinguish between the old and the young. I dwell in the land of the shades. Why should you love me--Death?"

I collapsed against the boulder, my heart so light and fluttery I thought it would burst like some balloon would. I couldn't answer straight away, because the words turned to ash in my mouth; and Thanatos went rigid from the wait, hanging onto the tension between his confession and my incoming response. Would I reject him or would some miracle allow me to love him back?

"How could you say I wouldn't love you?!" I cried. "Personally, I wonder how you could even love me! I mean, I'm so stupid! Of course I love you, Than!"

Thanatos' face transitioned immediately. I witnessed his very first genuine smile. It blossomed on his pale, solemn face with a look of sheer euphoria and gratitude. I thought I would be struck dead right then from the insurmountable beauty of that rare vision and his unearthly radiance.

Almost suffocating with joy and wonder, I had to change the subject. I had to think of something else! My clothes!

I coughed.

"Are my c-clothes d-done yet?"

Thanatos jumped up at once, flustered.

"Oh, let me check…"

He felt along the fabric of both my shirt and skirt, and then tossed the two over the boulder to me.

"They are ready," he confirmed.

He bent low to the fire and exhaled. The supernatural fire extinguished from the contact of his breath. I took that as yet another reminder of how abnormal he was. I dressed quickly and emerged from behind the boulder, stuffing the crown into my bag, and hopping awkward a few steps as I slid my feet into my Vans sneakers.

"Okay, we're good to go!" I exclaimed.

"Shall we search for the palace ruins, then?" Thanatos inquired, actually flushing and unable to look at me directly without some shred of embarrassment.

I grinned and skipped past the beach to the rocky hillside.

I did all right climbing up through the rocks and mountains considering I wasn't in the best shape, but Thanatos had some trouble. I supposed that while being a god, walking long, strenuous distances didn't quite agree with him. He was used to flying or magically appearing wheresoever he chose. He huffed and puffed and had to take several rest stops before we got to Odysseus' palace.

There was a long, crumbled building, along with a couple of other smaller buildings beside it. The buildings had been weathered to their very bases, and collapsed columns littered the spaces between the buildings. The ruins were impressive, but sad at the same time. I imagined what the palace must have been like in the days of its glory—huge and elegant and amazing.

"So, this is Odysseus' home? People think it might have been on other island." I asked.

Though historians often argued as to the true location of Odysseus' Ithaka, Thanatos told me nothing about his palace being anywhere else. He merely shrugged.

"I have never cared much for the things of mortals," he admitted. "I would not be the one to ask. Your guess is as good as mine."

"It's pretty impressive," I said. "I mean, it's not astounding like the Pyramids or the Empire State Building in New York, but it's cool."

Thanatos shrugged again. I got the feeling he really didn't care. It was time to move on.

"What next?" I asked.

Thanatos arched one thin silver brow.

"I was under the impression that you wanted to enjoy the bountiful gifts of Nature."

Though the elaborate words used in his sentence would suggest he found nature equally beautiful, the monotone in which he spoke told me otherwise. I ignored it.

"Yes. I want to hike!"

"Very well."

A small black butterfly fluttered just above the bridge of my nose. I smirked and took off after it, chasing it playfully down the dirt path towards the woods. The butterfly would slow down to allow me to catch up, and then fly just out of my reach as I approached. It was almost though it was in the middle of a game with me. Thanatos held out a hand, and the tiny insect alighted onto his fingertips. It fanned its obsidian wings beneath the sunlight. It was exactly the same color as Than's eyes.

"Did you know that many butterflies are actually spirits of the Golden Ages?" he asked me. "During the Golden Ages, people knew no suffering or unhappiness. When I took a life, I took it gently. The humans did not fear me in those days."

His eyes sparkled, distant. He was probably remembering a kinder time when his purpose did not weigh on him heavily.

"What happened?" I breathed.

"Zeus," he answered bluntly.

I frowned. Just another reason I disliked that god, aside from his hundreds of extramarital affairs and vanity.

Thanatos ushered the insect gently back into the air. It circled me twice and then disappeared into the canopy of the trees, the sky, and out of sight. I strolled along the trail, Thanatos beside me. The woods were darker and cooler; the dense branches of the trees shaded the floor from the sunlight. A stream trickled along beside us. I took off my shoes and stepped into it. The water felt refreshingly cool.

"Amarante, be careful," Thanatos urged. "You might slip. Those rocks don't appear to be safe."

"I'll be fine," I said. "I'm clumsy, but I never get seriously hurt."

"You never know," he said.

"I've never broken a bone in my entire life," I declared, leaping from one rounded river stone to another.

"Stop that! You humans never realize how fragile you are!" he cried, exasperated. "There are so many ways you could be injured. You could catch a sickness; you could cut yourself on one of those stones and become infected. Who knows! Perhaps an arrow will fly out from the forest somewhere and strike you down!"

"That's silly," I scoffed.

He grasped me by the shoulders firmly, glaring directly into my eyes. I froze.

"Amarante, I do not jest. Anything could happen to you; anything could wrench you away from me. If something causes your death, I will have to take you. I can't spare you. You know that, don't you?"

I was taken aback by his seriousness. What had prompted him to react this way?

"Thanatos, I've lived my life just like this for as long as I can remember. I'm not that weak."

He sighed.

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Then how did you mean it? Have some faith in me to stay out of trouble, won't you? I promise I'll be fine. Let me have some fun in the stream, okay?"

I pulled myself from his grasp and sat upon the stone, kicking my feet in the stream with small, repeated splashes. I felt annoyed, so I averted my gaze.

"Please don't be upset with me again," he pleaded.

"I'm not upset," I muttered.

"You sound upset, little one."

"I'm just tired, that's all. And a little thirsty, maybe. Can we find a village?" I asked.

Thanatos' eyebrows disappeared underneath his hair. I suppose that he'd been worrying about my well-being for some time now, and I hadn't figured it out until he'd admitted to loving me. I was sure my wild personality had stressed him out on more than one occasion. I really needed to give him a break. As the god of death, he wasn't someone who needed to have their buttons pushed by an awkwardly weird adolescent girl whom he loved. I didn't want to push him, either. He still could decide that he didn't love me anymore and strike me dead anytime.

"One more thing," I said.

"What is it?"

"I like when you call me by name. Can you only call me that from now on?" I whispered.

He surveyed me silently with his dark eyes, and then sighed once more.

"Very well."

I removed my feet from the stream and returned them to the insides of my shoes. I faced Thanatos and made an attempt to reassure him with a good-natured girly smile. He did not appear convinced. I reached for his hand to take it. He winced as my fingers touched his flesh, and rapidly drew his hand away. I frowned.

Having realized what he'd just done, a faint blush colored his cheeks, and he looked away.

"S-Sorry. I am not accustomed to…"

He trailed off.

I shook my head.

"I'm not upset at you, Than," I repeated. "Let's find a village, please."

"As you wish."


	10. Chapter 9: Love is Cheesy

I kicked sticks and stones away with each step, not bothering to pick my feet and shuffling along the wooded path. We broke out of the woods into a clearing stretching over a hill; golden and lit up with sunshine. Thanatos trudged onward beside me, quiet as usual. I didn't pester him to talk to me. He wasn't big on conversation, anyway, and his habitual soft-spoken demeanor was beginning to grow on me, besides. The silence was comfortable, not strained, as though we could get a lot more across to another without saying anything at all. A faint sound of bleating came from the other side of the hilltop. Sheep? I ran ahead a ways, only to discover a herd of goats grazing. A whole herd of little Billy Goats! How cute!

"Thanatos, I found goats!" I exclaimed.

I wondered if they'd let me pet them. I was also a big animal fanatic on top of everything else. Comes with the overly-nice girl territory. Maybe these goats were used for goat's milk and cheese? Maybe the village could sell me some nice goat cheese. My stomach began to rumble slightly. Why was I thinking of food again?

Thanatos emerged on my side of the hill. It seemed that a catastrophe had befallen them all, because the goats bleated like mad and scattered in all directions like fleeing ants. I was thoroughly confused. They hadn't done that to me.

"Dumb beasts," Thanatos murmured. "At least they know to flee the shadow of Death."

And he was right. They'd all escaped to a field adjacent the hill…All except one little black kid. He couldn't have been very old. He was tiny, staggering around on inexperienced and scrawny legs. I wandered over to him and he turned his shaggy head to me with a soft bleat.

"Baaah."

I lifted the small creature into my arms and carried him to Thanatos, rubbing his head between two stubs of horns. He did not take fright to Thanatos' presence like the rest of the herd.

"He's not scared of you, is he? Neither am I."

I smiled. Thanatos peered down at the baby over the bridge of his nose, scoffing.

"It is too young to know any better," he said.

"Maybe so, but don't you like that it hasn't run away from you? That it doesn't think you're terrifying?" I asked.

He shrugged.

"It is just a stupid animal. It does not know anything, nor will it ever. Such creatures are good to me only as sacrifices."

My heart dropped into my stomach. I would show him!

"Here," I said, forcefully shoving the kid into Thanatos' arms.

"Wha—WAIT!" he cried, but struggled to keep form dropping the baby just the same. It bleated a couple of times in alarm, probably fearing that it would fall to the floor, but Thanatos secured it in time.

"Are you mad?!" he hissed.

"Hold it," I said. "It's cute. Just look at it."

Reluctantly he glanced down, stroking his fingertips through the animal's soft fur, like he was testing it somehow. The baby yawned and snuggled against his jacket. I wasn't the one holding it, and I still wanted to swoon! Thanatos flinched, drawing in a sharp breath, which I think he choked on (a strangled noise came from the back of his throat). The kid didn't seem to notice. After a few moments of uncomfortable surveillance of the little creature, Thanatos very slowly began to smooth down its fur with his hand. I didn't disturb him, eager to see the product of this interaction.

"I…. I suppose it is cute," he breathed, the corners of his mouth curling upwards slightly.

A half smile! That was good. I took the baby from him, and he opened his mouth perhaps to protest. But that didn't seem becoming of the god of death, so he said nothing in the end. Feeling quite smug, I carried the baby goat down the hillside and returned it to its herd and parents.

Next thing was to get to the village. It didn't take much longer, after crossing the fields and avoiding the other frightened goats. It was definitely a village on account of its size, but was larger than a few houses and shops. I saw a church, restaurants, antique stores, and the like. We passed a group of adolescent Greek girls, who were chattering amongst themselves and eyeing Thanatos. It occurred to me that they probably thought he was quite attractive themselves.

Sure, he was thin and sickly pale, but his dark eyes were haunting, and he had a very feminine facial structure. His hair was a weird color, being silver, but it still looked silky with its tight, well-kept curls. Aside from that, he was tall, and stylish in his leather jacket. They turned their attention to me soon after, probably trying to assess my relationship with him. They had dirty looks on their faces.

Almost instinctively, I reached for his hand. I wanted to show them that he was mine whilst a very nasty surge of jealousy and possessiveness passed through me. However, as soon as my fingers laced between his, Thanatos gave a little twitch.

"Amarante, please let my hand go."

He glanced towards the girl. They glared at the both of us with undisguised envy. I felt a wave of satisfaction.

"Why? They think you're good-looking; can't you tell? I'm preventing them from trying anything," I said. "After all, you love me."

"But you are calling attention to me," he whispered, jumpy.

And elderly couple was now staring at us.

"So? I want to hold your hand," I said.

"I do not like to be touched, either! Touch is a human tendency, and as a god I have no desire to touch or be touched. Please do not make me do it," he implored me.

I was getting very angry. He had just confessed feelings for me that morning on the beach, but was averse to being amorous in public due to the attention it drew. To make matters worse, he didn't even want me to touch him! I didn't understand; how could we be in love without touching? Was I supposed to never touch him or even kiss him for the rest of eternity?!

"You know what?! Fine! I'm going to go get a drink, and maybe some cheese," I said curtly, wrenching my hand out of his and storming off.

"Amarante? Wait, Amarante!" he cried, attempting to follow.

"Just stay there! You don't want to attract attention with me next to you!" I mocked, twisting his words to suit how low I felt.

I instantly regretted it, because after my accusation hit home, I seriously though that he was going to cry. The god of death, on the verge of tears. I couldn't take the pain in his face for more than a second, so I retreated into a small grocery store. In fact, I think I literally sprinted inside.

I stayed in there for a good long while, even after having purchased a bottle of artisan spring water and sandwich materials (cheese slices, tomato, some bread… you get the picture). I just didn't have the patience to face him. I knew that he was a god, and maybe gods didn't normally touch. But what about all of those myths involving gods and mortal girls? Had he never done this before? From the way he behaved, I was probably—no, I was certain—that I was the only woman he had ever loved in his entire, unbelievably long existence.

The realization got me to thinking. So if gods were not normally touchy-feely, and him in particularly being Death and usually touching to kill or the like, he was completely unused to the affectionate touching and emotions involved with love. I was his first. I really did have to be patient will him, because he had to be carefully nudged in the right direction. Death didn't welcome change; Death didn't want change, either. It made him feel vulnerable, and his feelings towards me made him feel even more so. I suddenly felt very bad about my outburst. I wasn't sure how he'd cope with my mood swings if I let every pet peeve of his get to me. I had to cool it. I had to show him I could lead him to a true romantic relationship gently and gradually without overwhelming him with mushiness all at once.

Having sorted myself, it was now time to face the music; aka Thanatos and his brooding, which I discovered on a bench under a shady tree. He looked especially dark and almost suicidal sitting there. Of course, suicide was entirely impossible for him, but the vision reminded me of it just the same. It was my fault. I was guilty as charged.

I unscrewed the top from my water and took a swig. Gathering up my courage, I approached the death god and sat beside him on the bench. He glanced at my shoes, but looked away just as quickly. He said nothing, and neither did I. Some minutes passed without consequence, and I cleared my throat finally.

"Do you want some of my water?" I asked.

I offered the bottle. He took it and drank some stoically. He handed it back to me. Suddenly, he turned to me and opened his mouth. I cut him off.

"No, listen, Thanatos."

I sighed.

"Look… I'm sorry. I keep forgetting that you're new to this whole lovey-dovey thing, and I'm not helping very much by trying to hurry you, either. We'll take things slow, okay? You've been pretty generous with letting me do what I want lately, especially since none of it is what you are really into. I've…never really had a boyfriend, so I'm eager to see what the hype is on having one. Holding hands, cuddling, kisses, and so on, for example; always wondered what it was like. But that doesn't give me the right to rush you. So forget I said any of that stuff earlier, okay?"

He gaped at me.

"I will confess that I did not understand the majority of what you said, Amarante."

I resisted the urge to slap my hand to my forehead.

"What I mean is… You don't have to let me touch you, Than. I love you, so I can be patient. It's against your nature; therefore, I won't rush you to change yourself."

Before I could even blink, he'd flung his arms around me. I stammered, wanting to say something, but the words caught in the back of my throat. I was pinned against his chest, and his face was buried in my hair. He felt so cold and hard like a statue. His smell…Reminiscent of white poppies. Like the ones in our front yard. Intoxicating… I hesitantly laid my hands beneath his shoulder blades.

"Thank you, Amarante," he whispered into my ear.

I shivered. Despite the coldness of his body, I was strangely comfortable. In fact, I wished he wouldn't let go ever. He did, of course.

"A-All right. That is enough touching," he muttered with a blush, and released me.

My hands settled back into my lap, and I dug out my groceries. I decided to eat away my depression; the depression brought on by the end of his hug, by the way.

"What is that?" Thanatos asked.

"Sandwich materials."

My brief explanation was still met with a blank look. Poor guy. A classical god trying to get by in a modern world; woe was he.

"Watch," I said, taking the food items out of the plastic bag.

I spread two slices of bread out on my lap, placed the cheese on them, and cut my tomato into pieces awkwardly with a plastic knife. I closed up the sandwich and took a huge bite. It tasted decent even without condiments like mayo or ketchup.

"That is strange," he said.

"Ha! Just wait till you watch Iron Chef America!" I exclaimed.

Another blank look.

"What?"

"Nevermind."

Instead of making things complicated, Thanatos told me we would not swim back to mainland Greece and fly to the hotel. Instead, he would call Xanthos to carry us straight there, as it was already getting pretty dark out. We had chatted on the bench for some time, and Thanatos had eventually convinced me to make him his own sandwich. I'd also given in to the temptation to buy a slab of goat cheese. It was delicious.

"OH, YOU AGAIN," Xanthos boomed, apparently excited to see me (insert sarcasm).

"Xanthos, take us back to the…" Thanatos trailed off.

"My hotel," I finished.

"Ah, yes. The hoh-tehl."

"YES, MY LORD."

The third time around I didn't get quite so nauseated riding the demon horse. Perhaps I was adjusting to his "radical" travel methods of fastness and blurred images. He dropped us off on the front steps and poofed into nothingness.

"Now, Amarante, I have to return both the crown and Hermes' sandals," Thanatos informed me. "I can be very quick, but you must stay here until I return."

I nodded.

"Good."

I gave him the items, and he was gone. I saw him extend his wings, but that was it. He'd just vanished subsequent to doing so. Baffled and also somewhat impressed, I parked my rear on the last step of the hotel entrance and waited.


	11. Chapter 10: Evil CliffhangerYou'll See

After waiting about half an hour, I sprawled out across the hotel's front steps. Gazing listlessly up into the night sky, where millions of stars glittered, I felt weary; and it occurred to me that I really was beat from running around all day. I had no idea when Thanatos would come back, though I had previously expected it wouldn't take very long. I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to rest my eyes for a moment, and my eyelids drooped. Conveniently, just as I'd managed to fall asleep, was when I was violently roused.

A flying object propelled itself into a nearby tree, spraying leaves and twigs all over me and thunderously cracking several large branches. I sprang awake, yelling something entirely incoherent and shrieking as said object was catapulted to the ground at my feet. I scrambled away, hysterical. I had no idea if I was still dreaming or a plane had crashed over my head. It took a couple of minutes of hyperventilating to finally realize the object had been a much disheveled Thanatos.

"Oh, my God!"

"Yes?" he asked groggily.

"You look awful!"

I wasn't exaggerating. He would have looked handsome in his garb otherwise, but he was filthy, caked with dirt, and reeking of wine. He staggered onto his feet, making an attempt to step toward me, but stumbled back onto his hands and knees. He wore some black toga-type thing, with golden embroidery. He also donned golden arm cuffs, matching golden lace-up sandals, and a golden laurel placed upon his brow. His ruffled wings folded and disappeared.

"Ama…Rante?" he asked, squinting, as though he was having quite a lot of trouble focusing on my face.

"What the hell happened to you?!" I cried.

"ReturnedHermes'sandals…Payback…Drinkingcontest," he replied.

His words slurred together. I could hardly understand.

"You're completely wasted," I informed him.

"No, Iamdrunkwithwine," he said, and hiccupped.

"How is that even possible?" I asked, taken aback.

"Iwill…soberupmomentarily."

He winced.

"Iamsorry…Ididnotwant…Todrink."

Despite very abnormal speech, Thanatos' mind to seemed to be functioning, though slower. His movements weren't much better, either. It was my fault, of course, because he had borrowed the sandals for me. I sighed.

"All right. Let's get you cleaned up."

This time, the woman at the front desk did not even look up from her work, and I was very glad she didn't. Last thing we needed was being reprimanded for drinking, even though I was fine and Thanatos hadn't particularly wanted to. His clothing wasn't really normal, either. Maybe she would have assumed his archaic banquet attire to be a costume for some wild party. Nevertheless, I got him back up to my room. If I had to practically carry him to my room every night for some reason or another, I wasn't looking forward to the next day.

Again I found myself scrubbing him with a damp cloth. No blood this time, but still he looked terrible. It didn't suit him. He was supposed to be creepy terrible, not filthy terrible. After a while, I finally gave up, because I didn't want to take off his clothes since he was probably not wearing anything else beneath them. I could make him bathe in the morning, anyway.

"How are you feeling?" I asked him.

"My head is throbbing," he murmured.

His speech had improved, but the effects of the alcohol hadn't quite worn off yet. He massaged his temples with his fingers, inhaling sharply.

"Lie down," I said, and shoved him back down onto the bed, gathering the pillows.

Did I really have to play nurse so much, too? Honestly.

"I am sorry," he repeated to me.

His eyebrows creased.

"Don't worry about it," I sighed, and without really knowing what I was doing or being able to stop myself, stroked my fingers through his silver locks.

A pinkish tinge flushed his pale cheeks. He was too tired to do anything else. My face burned. I pulled my hand back and stood up, disappearing into the bathroom and locking the door behind me.

"Oh, god, what am I doing?" I asked myself. "I have to leave in a week, and so does he. No matter what I want, this is probably still just a little fling for both of us."

I really didn't want him to leave me, but could I afford to go with him anyway? Could I really leave my mom and sister if he asked me to? I stripped off my clothes and jumped into the shower. As I rinsed myself off and shampooed my hair, I thought about the pros and cons of such an action. On the 

one hand, I loved him and could be happy. On the other, I would miss my family and the human world, too. I could be lonely.

I shut off the water. It didn't matter anyway. In mythology, gods had flings with human girls all the time, and only once did I recall a girl ever being married and made into a goddess by one. And even then, it was by Eros, the god of love. That was to be expected; that it would work out between Love and a human girl. I wasn't lucky enough. It wouldn't be me. I could never have that happy ending. I shouldn't let myself get too strung up by the Thanatos, because in the end, I would be hurt. But could I manage not to be attached?

Silent tears spilled down my cheeks while I dressed. I could pass my red eyes off from the shower.

Thanatos had made a full recovery by the time I came out. He was up, standing at the window. The clock informed me it was only 7:30 pm. I, however, wanted to sleep very badly. I climbed under the covers on the side of the bed he had not dirtied, and pulled the blankets over my head with a groan.

"You are not sleeping yet, are you?"

Thanatos was wide awake; alert.

"I am really tired, Than," I mumbled through the sheets.

"There are some things I want to tell you," he said.

So much for sleeping.

"What is it?"

I sat up, rubbing my eyes.

"Come here."

I, very reluctantly, lifted myself out of bed, wandering barefoot and sleepily over to Thanatos at the windowsill. He'd thrown the window open, and was sitting upon it. The night air filtered in along with beams of moonlight.

"I want to tell you about my family," he said.

"Shoot."

He eyed me strangely.

"What?"

"Tell me," I said.

"Do you see my mother out there?" he asked, nodding his head towards the sky.

"Your mother?"

I looked up at the sky, confused.

"My mother is Nyx," he told me. "Night."

He said nothing after this, so I assumed it was my turn to comment.

"I always liked nighttime better than daytime," I said.

"I have a twin brother, too," he continued. "He is Hypnos, Sleep. He is what is weighing on your eyes at this moment. He and I were born from Nyx and my father Erebos, Darkness."

"And you all live in the Underworld?"

"Yes. I serve the Master Hades and the Mistress Persephone."

"So, is it just you and Hypnos in your family, then?"

"No, I have many brothers and sisters. The goddess of Chaos, Eris, the Keres, the Oneiroi…"

"Big family, then?"

"It is a very large family. All gods are related."

I stared up at the twinkling stars.

"I have only my mom and my sister," I murmured.

"The other gods do not like me," Thanatos said. "Death is abhorrent to even the deathless gods."

"You don't have any friends that are gods?"

He thought for a moment.

"I do not like them either. But Hypnos was my womb mate. I would say he is my best friend. I miss him."

"I miss my sister, too," I assured him. "Anemone and I are really close, too. We're not twins, but she's my best friend."

Thanatos nodded solemnly.

"I have never done this before," he said suddenly, his eyes glittering.

"I know," I said.

Ye gods, he was actually cute! The god of Death was a cutie-pie! I knew I shouldn't do it, but I couldn't resist anymore. I leaned up and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. He cried out, almost falling backwards out of the window. I turned beat red and retreated back to the bed, hiding beneath the covers. I was determined to fall asleep this time instead of face him after that antic. It didn't work.

Thanatos got a hold of his self, and dashed over to me.

"Amarante! Please, do not go to sleep, yet! My mother has just blanketed the sky! There is time before you must rest!"

Placing both hands firmly on my back, he shook me. I was surprised he even touched me. I groaned anyway.

"Thanatos, I am really tired!"

"I implore you, rise! I am restless!" He seated himself at the foot of the bed, prodding me repeatedly.

I sat up abruptly, growling.

"Okay, fiiiine! What do you want?!"

He quieted, his eyes wide as tea saucers.

"Sorry," I said.

He looked away. He was upset.

"You may sleep, little one."

"I told you not to call me that anymore," I said.

"It matters not. Sleep."

"Look, I'm sorry. I'm just tired, okay, and--"

I stopped. He was glowing with the moonlight, dark eyes deep. His silver hair was strangely metallic in this light. He was so gorgeous. I really couldn't forget that fact no matter how hard I tried to.

"Thanatos… Do you… Do you want to…" I gulped. "Never mind"

I couldn't believe I was considering asking something like that. There was no way he'd do it. No way. But Thanatos didn't let it go. He gazed into my eyes intently, coaxing the question from me. I had to ask. And he wanted to know.

"What is it, Amarante?"

"Do you want to…Maybe try…A kiss?


	12. Chapter 11: Fan ServiceFINALLY

Author's Note: Apologies for the lateness of the update and the shortish length of this chapter. I am the planning stages of my next project involving Amarante, Thanatos, and a little surprise. Sooo, my mind is elsewhere. Ehehehe...

--

Thanatos lowered his eyes, pinkish tinge once more flushing his cheeks. I wanted to faint. I couldn't believe that I had actually gone and asked him something like that. I had just made things between us more awkward than need be. At least, I assumed Thanatos would say nothing after that and tell me to sleep after all, or perhaps just leave. But he caught me off guard this time.

"Uhm… Did you not already kiss me?" he asked, his hand leaping up to his cheek.

"Well, I actually meant a kiss…With…Mutual participation on both sides," I mumbled. "Here."

My own hand almost went to my lips, but I forced it back down into my lap. Thanatos blushed again. He was beginning to do a lot of that lately. I shrugged, wanting to kill off the tension between us immediately.

"Never mi--"

"All right."

Was I hearing things? I paled.

"What?"

Thanatos bit down on his lower lip, chewing it.

"All right. We may give it a try."

My stomach went insane. It twisted into taut knots, butterflies teeming inside me. My heart raced. My head was suddenly very light and fluttery and it took me a moment to stop myself from actually passing out. This was a dream! A dream! A dream! The words echoed in my mind repeatedly. But I knew it wasn't a dream. We'd gotten past the dream hypothesis ages ago.

"O-Okay," I said, edging closer to him.

He did the same, with some measure of reluctance visible on his face.

"Let's see… If we can do this right," I murmured, and allowed my hand to fall onto his shoulder.

He leaned in very close, so as our faces were literally inches apart. His right index finger trailed along my jaw, and he inhaled slowly.

"You are even more beautiful this close," he whispered.

I shivered.

"Thank you…"

I closed my eyes and parted my lips.

"Amarante…"

The initial brush of his lips against mine sent a wave of intense heat throughout my body, and sheer anticipation. He drew back from me, eyes half-lidded.

Then he leaned in suddenly, crushing his mouth against mine. It was very cold, but set my insides aflame.

I was in heaven.

Some fierce desire took me. I was kissing back with vigor, pressing myself against his chest. My hands were tangled in his silver locks. His arms were tight around me. I was being pulled under him, he was leaning over me. The kiss was eternity. The kiss was everything, and there was nothing else in the world. I wanted nothing else in the world. I wanted him. The heat was unbearable, but his body was so cold.

He wrenched himself away, hair mussed. His wings fanned out, having extended from his back sometime during the kiss. Their feathers were bedraggled, rumpled, and messy. He panted, and his eyes were wide. The fire still blazed inside me. He had ended it because he'd known I didn't want to stop deep down, and neither did he. We wouldn't have been able to resist going further for much longer. It was a terribly and beautifully painful realization. He seemed horrified. There was a storm in his eyes. He gawked at me, and I stared back. My heart pounded. I wanted him to kiss me again. He cleared his throat, and unexpectedly, grinned. It was very weird. Death didn't grin like that!

"I have never done that before," he declared.

"Neither have I," I confessed.

"Let us go outside," he said. "I am restless."

"I'm still tired, Than," I said, though secretly resented the fact our kiss was now in the not-so-distant past. "I really need to sleep."

"Sleep then, my amaranth," he said.

My heart fluttered. A pet name?

"I will take a walk, and occupy myself until dawn. Rest well."

He alighted from the bed and was gone; simply took off through the door like he had that first morning I'd seen him and discovered he had not been a hallucination. I expected that I would dwell on the kiss and never fall asleep in the end, but I proved too tired and passed out the moment my head touched the pillow.

Admittedly the smell of food woke me up. Thanatos had balanced a plate of something on the bed beside me. I squinted, rubbed my tired eyes, and gave the plate another long look. It had random 

breakfast items stacked on it—muffins, little plastic tubs of jelly, sweetbreads, eggs, and other items that really didn't go together on the same plate.

"Than, what is all this stuff doing here?" I asked, stifling a yawn.

Than, who had stolen my usual station in the armchair, rested his chin on the palm of his hand, which was propped up by his elbow on the armrest.

"I thought you might be in need of nourishment."

"Oh."

I sat up, eyed the "meal" (or whatever you would call this plethora of oddments), and set to clearing the plate if only to satisfy and please him. I did want him to feel he had done something nice for me; which he had. This would hopefully prompt other thoughtful deeds in the future, the like of which I could not imagine, but wanted just the same. I ate in silence and he demanded no conversation of me.

When I was finally done, I set the plate aside and stared straight across to room at Thanatos from the bed. The memories from the night before came flooding into my head. He'd kissed me. I strangled down the blush that should have resulted from the recollection, and asked about something else instead.

"Where'd you get the food?"

"There was a table in the main hall of this building."

"The lobby?"

"Yes. I believe so."

"A breakfast buffet? Stacked empty plates and different types of food to choose from."

"That sounds about right."

"Thanks for getting me food."

Thanatos' mouth stretched into a thin line. I smiled in return. Now, what were the plans for today? Maybe I'd try to take him to another modern means of entertainment. I could go downstairs and ask the woman at the front desk about what sort of things there were to do in the hotel's village, not necessarily tourist attractions. Yes. That sounded good to me. But first I needed to get dressed.

"Thanatos, I am going to figure out what we are doing today in a minute, but I need to get ready. Can you wait for me out in the hall?"

Thanatos nodded curtly and departed. He wasn't too lazy to actually open the door and close it behind him this time. I'd become too used to seeing him walk through the door entirely, akin to the phantom he practically was. I didn't wait any longer to go into the bathroom, throw on a red plaid skirt 

and black blouse with white lace frills, as well as black-and-red striped knee-high socks and black Victorian boots. I penciled in some red liner, plumped my lips with some blackberry-colored lipstain, patted on some pale foundation, and followed.


	13. Author's Update Information II!

Hello, everyone! So, my hallowed fans, we've gotten up to the first kiss! (Isn't this exciting?!) Well, I am starting work on the next chapter immediately, but I've got some other things to tell you guys before we dive into the second half of By Any Other Name!

First things first, as a warning, I begin college in almost two weeks. This is scary for me because I am a college freshman and have no idea what to expect, so here's to hoping it doesn't bog me down so much that my updates will be super delayed!

Secondly, I may be also doing a for-fun silly fiction with a friend, involving characters from Final Fantasy VII, so those of you who have an interest in that game may also read as well.

THIRDLY, and gasp, this is my favorite piece of news, I am probably going to be starting a webcomic! I love to draw manga, and I've been wanting to do a story for over year on a "fallen" Seraph named Kaphziel (pronounced Cassiel). I put a TON of research into it, and I've got 20 pages so far that I have to ink and edit up. But once I finish volume 1, up it goes! And I will give you the link here so you can check it out! Angelology as well as mythology has always been an interest of mine.

So, that's what I was wanting to share!

As an added bonus/special treat, here are some links to pixel doll versions of Amarante and mortal-disguised Thanatos! I love you all, thanks for the positive feedback and support, and enjoy! (Add these ends to the usual photobucket URL address.)

Amarante: /albums/v701/lanatra/EloAmarante.jpg

Thanatos: /albums/v701/lanatra/EloThan.jpg

And a chibi drawing of mine--for fun!

/albums/v701/lanatra/ThanLea-1.jpg


	14. Chapter 12: Don t Mention New York Taxis

Chapter 12: Don't Mention New York Taxis

Author's Note: YES! THE LONG-AWAITED NEXT CHAPTER! . Which has previously been delayed by the evils of college homework. Currently I am putting off doing some homework assignments because—seriously—who wants to do homework if there's something better? I have no free time most of the time even when I come on the computer, and since my boyfriend is not around at the moment to cry to about my migraine, I thought I might as well get started on this next part migraine or not. Not even my comic is being worked on right now, so please, everyone, don't feel neglected! I've been neglecting all my favorite things. ..; I didn't even get to read the books I borrowed from the library! wails Okay, but I'll shut up for now so you can get to the actual chapter!

So there I was hassling the lady at the desk yet again. It was the same woman from all the other days. I was beginning to wonder if the hotel was family-operated or… Well, actually, it was more than likely it was the only job she had, and she needed to come in each day to make enough to pay the bills. Considering any large cities were a good drive from here, she probably didn't have much of career selection to begin with. But I digress.

"I am really sorry that I keep talking to you in English, but I don't know Greek," I said to her.

"Fine, fine. Do not worry. I understand."

She waved as though it didn't matter.

"I was wondering; is there anything in the village I could see with my friend?"

I gestured towards Thanatos in the doorway.

The woman narrowed her eyes at him.

"That is not a friend. That is a demon."

I panicked.

"That's mean! He's just, uh, anemic! He dyes his hair that color! What are you saying?"

Great job, Amarante. Way to not be suspicious at all whatsoever. The woman went off in Greek, shaking her head. She didn't take her eyes off of him. Thanatos didn't seem to be paying attention to my conversation with her. I tried to direct the subject away from him.

"Uhm, so, as I was saying… The village, what's there?"

She was reluctant to let the topic go, but complied.

"Shops, grocery… Ah. There is a… How do you say…Carvel..Carnel?"

I squinted.

"Carousel?"

"No. Different. A festival. A carn--"

"Carnival!"

"Yes, that."

A carnival, eh? That would be interesting to show Thanatos in terms of modern human entertainment. I thanked her and moved to join him by the front door. He didn't say anything as I approached, nor did he when I stood beside him.

"I know what to do now," I said. "But you don't get to know. It's a surprise."

Thanatos turned and pushed the door open without much acknowledgement, and disappeared outside. I was left standing inside, blinking. He was acting weirder than usual. I paid it no mind. I was thinking more about transportation. It was one of those questions that always arise during a vacation in which you have no rental car. I couldn't afford a rental car, besides. It could be close enough by walking. Then again, maybe close was defined as 5 miles that I could handle, but maybe Thanatos couldn't. I didn't exactly want to walk 5 miles, either.

I mulled over this very boring question for a long time, never once sitting and doing nothing but gaping at the wall throughout. I could only come up the answers of, perhaps taking a local bus or calling a taxi. Both involved vehicles that my dreary god friend would not be excited about riding. The bus was probably cheaper, but less direct. I didn't know how many stops there were on the way to pick up the occasional goat herder or farmer. A taxi would cost me a pretty penny, but I wouldn't have to worry about sitting next to Grandma Aphrodite or whatever the hell people were named out here. My own full name confused me plenty. The other girls at my high school were named Megan or Katie or Sara. Rather than continue to be tangential by myself and never come to a solution, I sought to consult Thanatos for an answer.

He was under an olive tree, aloof… Alone… So clichéd… Rather like me being a Mary Sue. Or so some people might imply here and there, God help their poor souls. Cue the sad violins. In the next scene, I should probably run over to Thanatos and fling my arms around him and comfort him with big, sparkly eyes and a high-pitched voice. 'Oh, Thanatos, why are you looking so sad?! It wrings my heart with such pain to see you like this!'

Instead, I had half a mind to amble over and stomp on his foot. He was perfectly fine earlier when he left my hotel room. Even…Cheerful…If you could ever use that word to describe him. But his quiet emoness was getting us nowhere fast, so I did accost him to discover the reason and fix it up best as I could and get us on our way.

"Than, what's up?"

He appeared vexed.

"…Up? "

"I mean, what's wrong? You don't look very…Happy."

"I am never happy."

"You are so."

"I am not."

"You are, even if you won't admit to it. And that's beside the point!" I huffed. "I mean, what is bothering you? You are bothered, I can tell."

"Can you not see your own foolishness?" he replied icily.

I was taken aback.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Even the woman at the wooden table could see it," he moaned tragically.

I rolled my eyes.

"Don't tell me you were listening to that."

He frowned.

"I am a god. My hearing is perfect. She gave you fair warning. It is a warning that I have repeatedly given to you since we met in these woods. I am a Daimon. I am Death. I am no friend of yours."

Oh, God, here we go again, I thought. Somebody kill me—oh, wait. He could, maybe, if I angered him enough.

"Than, listen… I don't care. Can we go already?"

"You should care! My nature is to destroy! I may destroy you in the end…"

"I want to get going, please. But I don't know how to get to the village, exactly. It may be 5 miles from here, and I know you aren't really used to walking--"

"Amarante!"

"What?"

Thanatos brought his thumb and forefinger to his face and massaged his temples.

"I wish you would not make light of what I am trying to tell you…"

"I am not making light of this! I simply do not care. Or did you forget I kissed you last night?" I groaned.

"Yes, but…"

"Just… I've heard you the first hundred times, okay? I want to take you to my surprise!" I whined, jumping up and down like a child.

"Very well," he sighed. "What were you inquiring of me?"

"Transportation," I said. "It's too short a trip to call Xanthos or to fly. And it's too far for you to walk. I was thinking of taking the bus or a taxi. Some sort of car."

His eyes widened.

"No, I am not setting foot in one of those metal beasts," he declared.

"Than, you can't die. You're Death. Nothing's going to happen to you. It's perfectly safe."

He fell silent, thinking.

"Please, just trust me. I know what I'm talking about. Only professionally certified drivers can offer public transportation. These people are very good at what they do."

Okay, so maybe that was sort of a lie. There weren't very good bus and taxi drivers back home, and I absolutely had no idea what they were like in Greece. But this could convince him to agree! I didn't want to make the simple trip to the village carnival overly complicated.

He fidgeted with his hands, and then threw them up in a sign of resignation.

"All right! I submit. We will use the accursed things."

Yes! Victory!

"Okay, which do you prefer? A bus or a taxi?"

He shrugged.

"I know not the difference."

I tapped a finger to my lips.

"A bus has a bunch of people riding in it at once—strangers and well as ourselves. Taxis have only a driver, and us. Except taxis are more expensive for me, and I'm sort of running low on funds…"

I really hadn't expected to entertain someone else on this trip. I'd gone a lot farther around this country than I would have assumed at first. I probably would have stuck to eating at the hotel or living off snacks, and visiting museums and random temples. Those were practically free. The extra meals for him, someone who really didn't need food at all, sort of counted against my budget. Food wasn't cheap in Europe.

"I would rather not have to be around strangers," Thanatos confessed.

"Fair enough."

The next ten minutes were spent arranging for a taxi to meet us out front. The woman at the desk thought the walk wasn't so great as to need a taxi, and I agreed, but I told her that my friend wasn't in the best health for walking semi-long distances. After those five minutes, the taxi service sent a car right out. They had a driver who wasn't busy, so it took him five minutes to get from the nearby village to the hotel. He got out of the car to greet us, shook my hand, attempted to shake Than's (was unsuccessful of course, as Than just gave him an odd look…Or maybe that was a 'Death' glare, hahah, pun, funny…Yeah…), and then held the car door open for us. Thanatos, white as a sheet, would not go toward the car himself. I had to prod him in the right direction. Even then, he wouldn't get inside on his own.

"Than, watch, I'm getting in, and you have to follow me."

I bent, sitting down, and sliding over to the far window. I beckoned to him to come in.

The driver arched his brow in question. I floundered for an excuse.

"Motion-sickness," I said quickly, and beckoned to Thanatos again, more frantically this time.

He sat immediately, and stared straight forward towards the windshield. His eyes were wide, and his fists clenched tightly and bone-white in his lap. The driver slammed the door and walked around to the driver's side. Meanwhile, I reached across Than for the seatbelt to his left.

"Whatareyoudoing?" he asked in a quick blurb of words.

I so could not tell he was on edge. (Heavy sarcasm.)

"This strap here," I explained, "Is to hold you back against the seat and keep you from flying forward if we get crash; a safety belt."

With a snap, I buckled him in. His mouth flew open, and I cut him off.

"We aren't going to crash. It doesn't happen that often. This is just a precaution. I mean, look, there's no one on the road! The driver can't possible hit anything unless he's intoxicated. Which he isn't."

Thanatos stared down at his fists. I heard the roar of the ignition in the front. We pulled out from the hotel driveway onto the country road. Thanatos was nearly quaking with fear. To stop himself from doing so, he sat straight-backed and rigidly erect, eyes fixed on the road ahead, lips pressed firmly together. He was so cute; so focused! I strangled down the idea; surely I needed to stop associating Death with cuteness. I placed my hand over his. He was so tense he could not flinch even then.

"We'll be okay," I said.

He was too focused, even, to give me a reply. I was certain that after some minutes of driving without consequence, he would settle down. It took longer than expected.


	15. Author Update Information III

Sorry if I made you all excited thinking I updated. ; But, I did start on my webcomic! Please read it! It's on drunkduckdotcom (You know how to write the URL.) And add this to the end of it: Rephaim/index.php?p469966


	16. Hiatus

Hello, everyone… I'm sorry for not having updated in an exceedingly long time. However, I am going to have to put this story on hiatus. I do not know when I will continue it; just know that it will be continued. I really am very sorry, but things have been very hectic, and I lack the motivation for anything right now. I am mentally, emotionally, and physically drained. These last few months have been a rollercoaster ride, filled with numerous ups and downs. I really cannot apologize enough… Bu I promise I will continue, when my energy returns to me. However, it takes a positive attitude to continue to write about Thanatos especially, and I've been feeling very negative, so… Writing his character, especially with where it's going now, upsets me. Thank you for all being patient and loyal fans up till now. I hope that when I return in the future you will be here to support me again.


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